The Longest Journey (SYOC(Closed))
by Lonesome Courier
Summary: Nine figures are brought together by what they hope is a simple job for the Reyes Family; bring back a highly coveted item the mob family loaned out. But all isn't as it seems for the group, and soon their respective past(s) comes back to bite them. Will they survive the trip, or will their past consume them? Rated M for violence, alcohol, and drugs. Set in Miami 2290!
1. Prologue: Broken Promises

The Longest Journey

Prologue: Broken Promises

Rain fell from the sky in buckets as the wind whipped the giant oak trees. A lone figure with a backpack partially unzipped, trudged through the storm. Travis bent his head as he spoke to the sleeping pink bundle within the backpack. The paved road he walked grew slick with mud.

"It's okay Saoirse," he grunted, half-dragging his left leg as he walked. From the ankle down on the left leg was completely swollen. "We're going to make it, I promise."

Travis' head looked up when he heard a familiar gurgling sound behind him. His heart sped up in his chest, as he clutched the backpack tighter against his chest. He didn't bother standing still, as he didn't want whatever it was to catch up with him. His ears strained to pinpoint the exact location of the gurgling, but it disappeared just as quickly.

He bent his head again as he walked beneath more hanging oak trees. If he'd read the map on his Pip-Boy correctly, Miami wasn't too far. He just had to push a little further.

Lightning and thunder added to the mix, one bringing light to the otherwise black night. It was at that moment, the baby's eyes opened, and she began to cry.

"Shhh, it's okay Saoirse," Travis whispered. "Everything's all right. I'm here, I'm right here."

_Aria should be the one doing this,_ Travis thought as he reached a fork in the right. The dual rings on his left hand felt heavier now. He bounced baby Saoirse gently as he looked up at the signs pointing to different settlements. When he saw the one for Miami, he looked beyond to see the bright neon lights and slogged again.

As he continued down the path, the gurgling sound returned even louder this time. He glanced behind him to see ghouls following him. Travis gritted his teeth and half-dragged his left leg as fast as he could.


	2. Chapter One: Humble Beginnings

The Longest Journey

Chapter One: Humble Beginnings

"Mr. McCoy, are you high?" said the Vasquez Family representative. He raised a brow above his sunglasses.

Milton had been daydreaming and shook his head before he turned his attention back toward the well-dressed man sitting across from him. There were times he took Psycho to calm his nerves or just forget about life, but this wasn't one of those times.

"I'm sorry, say that again?" Milton said.

The other man sighed.

"We were discussing your debt to Mr. Roman Vasquez," the man replied coolly. "Do you have it?"

Milton sighed and ran a hand through his caramel hair.

"I'm 250 caps short," he said. "Could I get another extension? Please?"

Usually, Milton didn't have a problem coming up with the caps he needed. For some reason, this time it was more difficult. Even though Miami wasn't as small as Holly Wood, word still got around that Milton owed the Vasquez Family. As a result, he hadn't been able to get much work.

A slight frown appeared on the man's face as he went silent. Milton's hands began to sweat, and he wiped them on his dress pants. He could hear his pulse in his ears and he almost wondered if the man was going to get up and leave. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time. Finally, the man nodded.

"Yes, I think that would be accept," he said. "Provided you hand over all one thousand caps in let's say, three months."

Milton nodded eagerly, "You'll get your caps."

The man smiled coolly, "We know we will. Have a pleasant day, Mr. McCoy."

As soon as the man left, Milton sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his beard. He tired to reassure himself that he could have the entirety of his debt paid off. He finished off his Nuka Cola, before he stood up from his table.

The Shangri-Law was a Pre-War submarine. Its gray walls, intact engine compartment, and nuclear reactor were the only things about it still intact. There was a reason bar fights weren't allowed. Because if anyone fired off one shot too many, no one would be around to enjoy the moonshine.

Metallic tables were attached to the ground with four to six seats per table. The black and white tiled floor sparkled. In the back was a metal counter also attached to the floor, which acted as the bar. In the far-left wall was a bulletin board. If there were any jobs in the city, they would be posted there.

As Milton made his way to the bulletin board, a lone individual scurried toward it and posted something on it. They disappeared just as quickly, and Milton had to reassure himself he wasn't on Psycho, that he really had seen the man.

He made his way to the board and looked over the notices. There were several sheets for working women, a few for missing family members, one for tarot card readings, and the last told about a job for the Reyes Family.

Even more powerful than the Vasquez Family- whatever they needed must be serious. Milton read the piece of paper.

**To all interested parties,**

** The Reyes Family are looking to retrieve something of importance. Further details will be discussed at the Reyes Family Residence on the morning of May 10****th**** at 10:00. The gates will remain open for a half hour. After that, no more visitors will be accepted onto the property and anyone caught trespassing will be shot on sight.**

** The Reyes Family**

_Well isn't that charming?_ Thought Milton as he looked over the other pieces of paper. The fee for finding missing family members wasn't nearly enough to pay back the Vasquez Family. He decided to tear off the paper, in case he needed it to reach the Reyes Family Estate.

* * *

Virgil tapped his fingers against the table with one hand, while the other hand held a bottle of beer. He took a drink and smiled at the people who entered the Shangri-La. Those who'd known him longer than a week smiled back, and some even raised their glasses at him. Being a ghoul meant most people wouldn't give him a second glance. He'd learned long ago to ignore some of the less…polite looks he received.

Virgil's smile grew brighter once he spotted his target, er, client. A man a few inches shorter than the ghoul entered the Shangri-La. His puppy dog brown eyes scanned the room in awe, as if he couldn't believe where he was.

_Oh yeah, this is going to be like stealing candy from a baby,_ thought Virgil as he took another drink of beer. In truth, he didn't care for the taste, but he did enjoy the aesthetic of having a bar in a Pre-War submarine. It brought him back to his time before the war, in a pleasant way.

Virgil waited for the man to approach him, before he gestured to a seat.

"Have a seat, Pedro," Virgil said. "I assume you brought the caps we agreed on?"

Pedro nodded and fished in the pockets of his jeans for the caps. He waited as the young man pulled out 500 caps from his pockets and placed them in the center of the table.

"Thank you very much, sir," Virgil said, scooping them up and putting them in his own pocket.

"So, how long should it take to collect those gator hides for me?" Pedro asked, leaning forward slightly as Virgil finished his drink and stood up.

One of the things Virgil had learned after the war, was how to convince someone to give him their money. The reason for this transfer of caps had to be credible enough, or else he'd get shot or otherwise injured. It'd taken him 213 years to perfect this transaction, but he had it down to an art. See, little Pedro like every other 20-something hotshot, wanted to become a gun-for-hire. So, Virgil had convinced him he could make Pedro some armor out of gator hide. As far as the ghoul knew, it couldn't really be done, but that hadn't stopped Pedro from coughing up the caps.

"Soon, soon," the ghoul said, as he pocketed the caps. He stood up, "I'll let you know within the week when it's ready."

He left Pedro and made his way outside. The sun shined on what remained of his skin, and a light breeze rustled his velveteen shirt. He wandered over to _The Miami Record_ newspaper stand. The vendor, a man named Luis, was turned the other way. Virgil snagged one of the papers, opened it, and began to skim through it. His eyes widened when he saw a job for the Reyes Family.

He glanced over the top of the paper, and saw Luis was still deep in conversation with someone. He pulled out a few caps and placed them on the stand. He proceeded to walk down the street as he read.

* * *

"I'll take the Gator omelet with pawpaw, please," James said, handing the menu back to the waitress.

"Right away, sir," she said and went back inside.

James sighed as he sat at a table outside The Crook and let the early morning wind blow through his mostly blond hair. Recently, it had started turning gray. He still debated on whether or not he would dye it, or just leave it to turn. Most likely he'd leave it. As an assassin, appearance didn't matter. Much.

He drank his Nuka Cola as he looked out over the busy streets of Miami. For the most part, the city had remained intact after the bombs. Merchants hawked their wares on the sides of the street while guards in dark uniforms and sunglasses wielded weapons as they walked up and down the broken asphalt.

He quenched his thirst with another drink of Nuka Cola. He zeroed in on an individual moving swiftly through the crowd, carrying a stack of what looked like paper. They placed some of the pieces of paper on the tables where James sat, and kept going. Normally, people weren't allowed to solicit to businesses in Miami. If the guards didn't come after you, it meant you had to be pretty important. James hesitantly picked up the flyer.

**To all interested parties,**

** The Reyes Family are looking to retrieve something of importance. Further details will be discussed at the Reyes Family Residence on the morning of May 10****th**** at 10:00. The gates will remain open for a half hour. After that, no more visitors will be accepted onto the property and anyone caught trespassing will be shot on sight.**

** The Reyes Family**

James raised a brow and put the paper down. He finished off his Nuka Cola as he stared at the page.

_The Reyes Family, huh?_ Thought James. His thoughts were interrupted when the waitress reappeared with a platter of food. He folded up the paper as she slid the platter and silverware onto the table.

"Here you are, sir," the woman said, her V-neck shirt much lower than when she'd come to take his order. "The Gator omelet with pawpaw."

James nodded and smiled politely at her, "Thank you. Could I also get another Nuka Cola?"

"Why certainly," she said, before scurrying back inside.

James took his fork and knife and began to cut his omelet into pieces. He put a piece into his mouth and savored the taste in his mouth. Once the waitress had delivered his Nuka Cola, he pulled out the flyer again.

Like every other inhabitant of Miami, James had heard of the mysterious Reyes Family. No one from the family left the estate for over 215 years. Whatever the Reyes Family wanted, they must have been desperate to get it back. Desperate enough, to ask outsiders for help. Additionally, whenever they did hire outside contractors, they were paid well. The desperation in combination with the caps, piqued his interest.

He finished his breakfast, drinking only half his Nuka Cola by the time he paid inside. He took the flyer with him as he made his way to the Reyes Family Residence.

* * *

Ariadne Ivanov looked out over the sky of Miami from her balcony. Most of the buildings still standing pierced it, while its citizens bustled below. Ariadne peeled and bit into her mango, as she enjoyed the sun on her skin.

She'd only come to Miami a few months ago, and thus far it seemed like….home. At least, as close as she would get to home this side of the Mississippi anyway. Work was steady, the environment was humid, and everyone just wanted to be left the hell alone.

Ariadne picked up a piece of paper off the nightstand. On the paper was a list of jobs. Gator trapping was the first on her list, but that one never seemed appealing. She didn't mind trapping the gator, but that would be mean trapping a lot of gators for not a lot of caps. And people in Miami tended to be picky when it came to how much caps they wanted to fork over. Hell, who in the wasteland wasn't?

The next one involved piking a rare flower from the Opal Garden. And from what Ariadne had heard of said garden from the locals, those who ventured in never came out. She crossed off that one before moving to her third.

**Reyes Family Job?** She'd heard about the job from Ms. Tempest's radio station. She didn't know the details of said job, no one did, but that was part of the appeal. Enough mystery and probably a decent amount of caps. She circled it, before stuffing the paper into her pocket.

Ariadne went into the bathroom and wiped her hands on a towel. After the bombs, all electricity and clean water in Miami had gone to hell. Over the years, some had been restored, but not in Stackton. At least, that's what Mercedez at the front desk of the hotel had told her. Hence, why Ariadne didn't drink anything that didn't come in a bottle.

She brushed her dark wavy hair as best she could and gave up halfway through. She put on her pauldron and batter's helmet, before collecting the rest of her things into her Nuka-Cola backpack. When she reached the Lobby, she paid the woman at the front counter a few caps before she made her way to the Reyes Residence.

Out of habit, she scanned her surroundings. The sun was slightly higher than when she'd woken up and not a cloud was in the sky. Merchants were just getting to their stalls, Miami citizens had decided they were awake enough to stroll the streets, and the Miami Militia passed by every so often. Ariadne examined the crowd three more times before she stepped out onto the street. Gripping her backpack tightly, she looked over her shoulder as she splashed through North Miami Avenue.

_It's been almost seven months,_ Ariadne chided herself as she weaved her way through the throng. _I wish they'd leave me the hell alone. Nothing can be done to fix what's happened._

Deep down, she knew they'd always come for her. Even though she'd made it crystal clear that if they did, she would run where they could never find her. She shrugged it off as she turned onto North Sixth Street.

Ariadne looked up to see a three story, snow white plantation home. She knew she was only a block away, but just the sight of the Reyes Residence stirred envy within her. It wasn't the house itself she wanted, it was the promise of security, monetary or otherwise, the house promised.

_It's just a job,_ a tiny voice inside her said. She tried to keep that in mind as she continued walking.

* * *

Palm trees swayed in the morning breeze as the sun lit up a secluded dirty road north of Miami. Feral ghouls gargled as they wandered in the direction of both humans.

"I'm switching to my baseball bat," Saoirse called from behind a nearby tree.

A feral ghoul zeroed in on Travis. He grunted as he kicked it, before he used his Ripper to separate its head from its body.

"Just be careful, kiddo," Travis said, barely moving out of the way of another.

He switched to his Shishkebab and used both weapons to slice off the limbs of any that got too close. Unfortunately, that didn't stop more from coming. Just as he was about to behead another ghoul, something metallic hit the back of its head with a loud thwack. He smiled when he saw Saoirse stand over it with her baseball bat at the ready.

"See, I told you it was useful," she said.

Travis nodded, "You were right."

But whatever else he might've said was drowned out by more ghouls. He half turned to her.

"You take half, and I'll take half," he suggested. "Deal?"

"Deal," she said.

With that, she rushed toward the nearest ghoul. Travis shook his head, before he too used Ripper to cut a ghoul in half.

_So much like her mother,_ Travis mused as he watched her beat a ghoul until it stopped moving. He shook his head of those thoughts, before he sliced another's head off.

He was careful to not let the ghouls get too close, but that was always easier said than done. Whenever that did happen, he tripped them. After that, he either cut off their heads or slashed their midsections. This was his preferred method. As soon as he'd finished with his share, he went to check on Saoirse.

He stopped when he saw her back away from a ghoul, her baseball bat held up. Travis pulled out his Shishkebab, ran up to the ghoul, and sliced its head clean off. It took the teenager a moment to realize what had happened, before she turned to Travis.

"I could've handled it," she said, her Prussian blue eyes filled with annoyance.

Travis sighed as he turned off the flames and sheathed his Shishkebab.

"And let you become ghoul food? Not a chance," he said. "Besides, then who would help me loot them?"

Saoirse raised a brow as she put the black bat in the holster on her hip. Eventually, she sighed in defeat.

"Fair enough, I guess," she said.

With that, she went to loot the ghouls. Travis watched as she kicked the bodies to insure they were dead, before she searched for valuables.

"Here you go," she said, handing him a few caps.

Travis shook his head, "Go ahead, you earned them."

"Sweet, thanks," she said, before she put them in a pouch on her belt.

The pair stepped over and around the corpses. They made their way toward a small, yellow cottage with a white fence. Smoke rose from the chimney as the duo entered and left 250 caps heavier. They split the reward between the two of them. Travis sighed in relief as they reentered Miami.

"So, what do you want to do," Travis asked. "Rest and recuperate, or find another job?"

Saoirse's eyes scrunched up as they walked. She expertly managed to avoid a caravan Brahmin on its way toward the gate.

"Hmmmm," Saoirse mused, before she turned to him. "I did hear about a job for the Reyes Family."

"Where'd you hear that?" He asked with a raised brow.

"On your Pip-Boy last week," she said, and pointed at the device on his arm.

He chuckled, "All right, you got me. But," he added, "if the job is too dangerous, we should look for something else."

She hung her head, her pigtails sagging with her, and nodded.

"Fine," she grumbled.

With that, the pair turned left onto South Dixie Highway.

* * *

"Fifty caps says you can't make it," Zeke said, with his arms crossed over his chest. His muscles bulged beneath the blue camouflage shirt he wore.

Zeke along with his friends Carlos and Leon, were playing darts at the Shangri-La. Leon was the blond one beside Carlos, the only Hispanic between the three of them. A medium sized circular dart board hung in the far-right corner of the bar. There were only six darts, with the trio playing at least once a week. Carlos was the first volunteer.

"Sixty says he can," Leon said, leaning against a nearby table.

"Thanks, buddy," said Carlos, as he ran a hand through his dark hair.

Zeke snorted and rolled his eyes as Carlos picked up a dart.

Both men stood behind Carlos and watched as he threw the dart. Leon pumped a fist into the air

"Smartass," Zeke said, as he fished through his pockets. Once he'd found the change, he handed it to Leon.

Zeke rolled his eyes again and picked up a dart. He squinted one eye as he lined up the dart with his target. He focused solely on the black, red, and green board before he threw the dart. He smirked at seeing it land perfectly in the center.

Leon scoffed, "As always, Mr. Perfect gets it on the first try."

"Unlike someone we know," Zeke said with a smirk.

Leon grabbed a dart as Zeke situated himself beside Carlos.

"Hey Santiago, you hear about the Reyes Family Job?" Carlos looked at Leon as he threw the dart. It landed on the outer rim of the circle, and he swore. He then returned his attention to Zeke. "I heard they're letting people inside the Reyes Residence today at ten-thirty."

"What about it?" Zeke asked.

Carlos shrugged, and Leon went to stand on Carlos's left.

"Figured it might be something up your alley," Carlos said. He grabbed another dart and went to the board.

_Reyes Job, huh?_ Zeke mused to himself as he stroked his chin. He watched as Carlos squinted one eye and aimed his shot. Zeke mentally reminded himself to leave the Shangri-La at 9:45 am, so that he could make it in time to the Reyes Residence.

* * *

A light breeze blew throughout Miami and across Noelle's cheek. The teen sat in her room and sharpened her knife with a stone, before she heard a knock on her door.

"Room service," came a woman's voice from the other side.

Noelle looked up from her knife, before she put it back into her boot. She remained seated on her Queen-sized bed.

"It's open," Noelle said.

With that, the door opened and in walked a woman wearing a blue short sleeve shirt and a navy-blue skirt. She wheeled in a cart filled with mangoes, some Fancy Lad Snack Cakes, and a Mutated Crocodile Egg. Beside the plate was an ice-cold Nuka Cola and a note.

"Thought you might like some breakfast," the woman said with a smile. "And don't worry, it's on the house."

Ever since Noelle had first come to Miami Hill Suites, she'd only been able to afford a small, crap ass room on the first floor. Even then, she'd had to rent it half off. Tia, the woman who'd wheeled the cart in, had taken pity on her. Tia was also the partial owner of the Miami Hill Suites.

Noelle smiled and slid off the bed.

"Thanks," she said, as Tia placed the plate on the nightstand beside the bed. "I could've paid for that, you know. I'm not destitute."

Tia nodded, "I know." She looked Noelle in the eyes, "Look, I don't know how much longer I can do this for. If you want, you could come live with me."

Noelle nodded and picked up the Nuka Cola. This wasn't the first time Tia had offered to adopt the teen, and she knew Tia would persist. Outwardly, the teen popped off the cap of her Nuka Cola.

"Look," Noelle said. "I know what you're trying to do and while I appreciate that, I think I'm better off on my own."

_And I don't need to watch anyone else close to me die,_ the teen thought as she watched Tia's face fall.

"Well if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me," Tia said, and placed the note beside the plate, before leaving the room.

Noelle sighed, and took a swig of Nuka Cola.

_I don't need her,_ she thought, as she picked up the note. _I can take care of myself._ She read the note, before she put the Nuka Cola on her nightstand.

_A job for the Reyes Family, huh?_ She thought as she took another drink. She didn't know much about the Miami crime family, except that they'd been in Miami before the war and were very rich and powerful. Maybe, powerful enough to keep her away from the Leblanc Family.

She finished her breakfast before she gathered her things and headed for the door.

* * *

Natasha pulled out her Shishkebab as soon as she saw feral ghouls. She wasn't sure if it was the fire or her presence that had attracted the ghouls, and she didn't much care. One ran up to her, and she didn't blink when she sliced its arms off. It gurgled at her before charging. She ran the fiery blade through the ghoul's chest, watching as it went limp and flames licked at its chest. She kicked it off her blade, before she ran the fiery blade through its torso above its belly button and watched both halves fall to the ground.

"Who's next?" The former NCR soldier asked.

She held up the Shishkebab as two more ghouls made their way toward her. She closed the distance between herself and the first and severed its head from its body. Both dropped to the ground and the second ghoul charged at her. She switched from the Shishkebab to dual pistols.

As the creature came toward her, she fired two bullets into its head. It joined its companions on the ground, and Natasha let out a sigh of relief as she reloaded her pistols and holstered them. She searched the ghouls for any valuables and came away with 10 caps.

She followed the broken asphalt toward Miami, the bright lights winking out as the sun rose above the horizon. As she neared the gate, which consisted of a large set of double doors. Two guards stood directly over the gate of the metallic wall. A few more lined either side of the wall. All were armored and armed from what she could tell. Unfortunately, she didn't have the means to take them on all at once nor did she want to. When she neared the gate, the guards closest to her moved as close to her as they could.

"State your business," the male guard said.

"I'm just passing through," Natasha said. She kept her voice calm and even as she spoke. "I'm here looking for someone."

The guards shared a look, before they nodded. The female guard addressed her, as the male guard turned around.

"You might want to step back."

Natasha nodded and did as the woman instructed. She watched the doors swing open. The woman called out again as Natasha strode through the gate.

"Enjoy your stay."

_Hold on kiddo,_ Natasha thought. _I'm on my way._

* * *

**Author's Note: So, I've received quite a few requests about whether or not I will accept additional characters in this story. My answer to that is no, for two reasons.**

**1)-I already have other projects I'm working on. Including this story, I have two other fanfics that aren't finished yet. On top of those, I have five novels I'm working on. Additionally, I work and go to school. The only reason I'm doing this project is because I needed something to tinker with while I complete these other projects. Other characters would complicate things, and I've already written the outline. I'm sorry.**

**2)-Also, a story only typically has between three to five main characters. That way, all characters get their own arc/development. While I know an SYOC can have as many characters as one can fit into the story, for the sake of my sanity, I felt nine was enough. I wanted to be able to focus on each character's personal arc. For those who didn't get to submit OCs, I do hope you'll continue to read anyway but if not, I understand.**

**I would like to thank Colstrent, Symmetrymaster, Rock-It-Ridley, Ethereal City, and Malachi288 for allowing me use of Natasha Ivanov, James and Noelle, Ariadne and Virgil Garbo, Zeke Santiago, and Milton McCoy, respectively. Additionally, I would like to thank Rock-It-Ridley for help with some of the lore and soundtrack, which I will release next chapter, and my sister for beta reading the story.**

**If you liked this story or even if you're just stopping by, feel free to leave a review!**

**Disclaimer: Bethesda owns Fallout, the others mentioned above own their respective OCs. I do however own Travis and Saoirse (Ser-sha) Mason.**

**See you next chapter!**


	3. Chapter Two: We're all in this Together

_**Chapter Two: We're all in this together**_

Saoirse's jaw dropped the closer they grew to the Reyes Family Residence. The mansion was snow white with reddish-brown roof tiles mostly intact. It had three stories with a smaller two-story building on the left. In the front yard was an elongated, square swimming pool and beside that, a circular hot tub. A seven-foot-tall, black fence with spikes at the top surrounded the property. Bushes lined the front portion of the fence, with palm trees scattered on both sides. The lawn was neatly manicured with guards near the front gate standing in a row on either side leading to the front porch steps. Travis saw her expression, and chuckled.

"It is enormous, isn't it?" He asked.

She silently nodded and closed her mouth once they reached the gate. Two ghouls with dark armor and plasma rifles greeted them.

"Are you here for the job?" The one on the right asked.

Travis nodded, "Yes, we are."

Both ghouls shared a look, before the one on the left stepped back. The male ghoul on the right punched in a code and the gate opened.

"Come on in," he said. "I'll escort you inside. But before we go any further, we'll need to go over a few rules."

_Rules?_ Saoirse thought as they stepped through the gate. It closed once they were inside. _For what?_

The male ghoul continued, "No touching anything inside, or stealing. Once your meeting with Mr. Reyes is over, you'll be escorted out. Any questions?"

Both shook their heads, before they followed the ghoul toward the mansion. The interior entrance had two marble staircases leading up to the second floor. Ornate, black rails lined the edges of either set, with egg white couches lined against both walls. A small, circular table rested in the center of the room. Saoirse and Travis followed the ghoul past the stairs and into a room four times the size of their house.

"This is the drawing room," the ghoul said. "You'll wait here like everyone else until a representative from the Reyes Family comes to speak with you."

The walls were baby blue with heavy gold and crimson drapes. The furniture and carpet matched the drapes, and a medium sized chandelier hung in the center of the ceiling. On the far-right wall was a fireplace. Three Caucasian men, one male ghoul, and two teenage girls waited in the drawing room. Once the two had entered the room, the door closed behind them.

Saoirse looked between Travis and the other teenage girls quickly, before she followed him to a loveseat closest to the door. It was rare for her to run across people her own age in their travels. To have someone else her age to talk to would be a nice change.

"You don't have to follow me, you know," he said. He nodded at the two other teenagers, "You can go sit and talk with them until the representative shows up."

She once again stole a glance at the girls. She noticed the one on the left of the loveseat had darker skin, while the other on the right was almost as tall as Travis. She turned back to Travis again.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

Travis nodded, "I'm positive."

With that, Saoirse made her way toward them. The African American girl turned to face her as soon as she approached.

"Hi, I'm Saoirse," she said. "What's your name?"

"Noelle," the African American girl said while simultaneously the girl on the right said, "Ariadne."

* * *

"So, how long have you guys been in Miami?" Saoirse asked.

Zeke sat in an armchair adjacent to the trio of teens, with his right leg crossed over the other. He sharpened his combat knife with a stone and stared at the floor as he listened.

"Not very long," Noelle and Ariadne answered at the same time.

_This isn't a social gathering, ladies,_ he thought as he checked the sharpness of his blade. He put the tip to his finger lightly, before putting it to the stone once again. In his peripheral vision, he saw the door move slightly, and put both the knife and stone away. He stood up, as did the others, as a woman in a black and white polka dot blouse with a black pencil skirt entered the room. She scanned the group before she spoke.

"Thank you everyone for coming. My name is Alicia, and I'm a representative of Luciano Reyes and the Reyes Family. Now, let's get started, shall we?" When no one answered, she continued, "Mr. Reyes has hired all of you to reacquire a weapon he's loaned to an ally of his. Whether or not you complete this task individually or as a group, I leave up to you. Just know that you will receive two thousand five hundred caps for each mercenary who is successful."

"So, what is it we're retrieving for Mr. Reyes?" Asked a man with a Pip-Boy.

Alicia turned toward the man.

"Travis Mason, correct?" She asked, and Travis nodded. Just as Alicia was about to respond, another voice beat her to the punch. The voice was raspy and held a certain strength to it.

"It's a weapon of incredible power."

Everyone in the room focused their attention on the well-dressed ghoul behind Alicia. He was a few inches shorter than her and his skin rotted off his face. His three-piece suit matched Alicia's skirt and he held a dark cane with a skeleton handle. A knowing smile lit his face, as he came to stand beside Alicia.

"Mr. Reyes sir, I didn't realize you were going to be here," she said, her eyes wide.

_It's called getting to know your employees,_ Zeke thought as he crossed his arms over his muscular and broad chest.

"I know," Mr. Reyes said. "I wanted to meet them personally." They shared a look, and he returned his attention back to the assembled group, "To answer Mr. Mason's question, I'm looking to consolidate the Reyes Family power. As I'm sure you all know, the Santoni and Doyle Families are looking to edge mine out of power. Since the other minor gangs belong to either family, I sought allies _outside_ Miami."

"This ally was given the weapon in the hopes they would wipe out opposition to the Reyes Family," Alicia continued. "Which they have. Your job will be to meet with the leader of the Red Gator tribe just north of Orlando. Contact them, recover the weapon, and bring it back to the Reyes Family Residence. Any further questions?" The rest of the room, Zeke included, remained silent.

"Excellent," Mr. Reyes said. "The guards will escort you out."

"When you _do_ manage to get it, come back here and tell the guard at the gate 'Wouldn't it be nice?'" Alicia added. "Hasta Leugo."

With that, the doors behind Mr. Reyes and Alicia opened again to reveal ten to fifteen guards. Each were armed and armored, and both figures left the room.

* * *

The guards guided the guests back the way they'd come, and into the street. Closing the gates behind them, the ghoul spoke up.

"Does anyone know of a good bar, close by?" He asked and pointed to the sky. "Because I'm not especially fond of the storm that's coming."

Everyone in the group, James included, looked to see dark clouds gathering above. The air grew cooler and a breeze rustled his graying hair.

"I know a bar on Luna Row," Travis volunteered.

"We'll follow you," said a man with a red Nuka-Cola cap.

James and the others followed Travis through two- and four-way streets as more clouds moved to block the sun. He could see a sign with multi-colored neon letters saying, 'The Moon Over Miami' above the door. They made it just as the first water droplet fell.

The interior of the Moon Over Miami had stone flooring with various colored lights hanging from the ceiling. A red oak bar sat with multiple shelves filled with alcohol and beside the counter, was a functioning jukebox. Redbone's _Come and get your love_ filled the mostly empty bar. Travis directed the group to a table with 10 chairs, and everyone sat down. By that time, the wind blew anything not nailed down and the rain pounded on the roof of the tiki bar.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm _not_ going to Orlando by myself," the ghoul said. He further rolled up the sleeves of his velveteen shirt. "Too many critters between here and there for just one person."

"Well, I'm also not in the habit of travelling with people I don't know," said the man in the Nuka Cola cap.

"Then let's not waste any time," said the man in camouflage. "Zeke Santiago."

He crossed his arms over his chest, and the ghoul spoke from his right.

"Virgil Garbo folks," he said with a charming smile. "But like my mostly silent friend here, Virgil is fine."

"Milton McCoy," said Nuka Cola man.

Rain continued to fall, albeit slightly now. James cleared his throat.

"Just James," he said.

Everyone else in the group introduced themselves before they ordered dinner. Noelle was hesitant to order anything at first, but James reassured her he'd pay for her meal. Even then, she only bought a container of Potato Crisps and a Nuka Cola.

"So, do any of you actually know how to fight?" Zeke asked around a mouthful of Gator Steak. "Because if not, then we may as well start competing for the caps now."

"That's kind of an essential part of living in the wastes," James responded. "Why does it matter?"

Zeke snorted, "Because if we're fighting a pack of feral ghouls, I don't want to have to save any of your sorry asses."

"If we didn't, then how did we get here?" Milton asked.

Zeke shook his head, "Not the question I asked."

"As James said, it's something everyone in the wastes _should_ know," Ariadne said.

"_Should_ being the key word in that sentence," Zeke retorted. "If' I'm going to travel with anyone, then I need to know they'll have what it takes to watch my back. I don't want to have to babysit them every second of the damn day."

"Well since there's ten of us, we can watch each other's backs," Virgil said. "If I recall correctly, the trip between Orlando and Miami isn't an easy one. And I for one, don't have the ability to make it there, retrieve this weapon, and make it back on my own."

"Me either," James and Milton said together. They shared a look, before both went back to their meals.

"It _would_ be easier if we traveled together," Noelle pointed out. "Plus, the woman did say that we _each_ would receive two thousand five hundred caps."

"That's a good point," Milton said. "I vote we stick together."

Everyone except Zeke voiced their agreement. They all turned to him as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Fine, but don't expect me to save you from a Mutated Gator," he huffed.

"Noted," Milton said. "So, does anyone know how to get to Orlando?"

"Saoirse and I have been there before," Travis said. He held up the Pip-Boy on his left arm, "We can do it again."

"But didn't we go with a caravan last time?" Saoirse asked, tightening one of her pigtails.

Travis nodded, "You're right, I'd almost forgotten." He then turned to the group, "The Sunshine Caravan goes between Orlando and Miami several times a year. And they're always looking for guards, so it shouldn't be too difficult to hitch a ride with them."

"Perfect. Where and when do we want to meet?" Milton enquired.

"They leave pretty damn early," Travis answered. "An hour before sunrise."

Milton whistled, and James finished his beer before he spoke.

"So where is this caravan?" James asked.

"At the corner of eighty-third and eighty-fourth," Travis replied. "Just before the northern gate. Saoirse and I can get there a few minutes early to let them know we'll all be there."

"Looks like we all have an early morning before us tomorrow," Milton said.

Wordlessly, Zeke stood up and bid everyone goodnight before he made his way to the bar to pay.

* * *

Noelle sipped her Nuka Cola as one by one, they all left. The sky remained dark as the sun set and the rain had subsided, at least for now. However, Noelle didn't relish the thought of wandering the streets alone, searching for a place that _might_ take her.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Saoirse asked. "You wouldn't have to worry about caps, we would wait for it. Right dad?"

She turned to Travis as he finished paying the waitress.

"Right," he nodded. "But it's up to Noelle."

Noelle shrugged as she picked up another Potato Crisp.

"I wouldn't want to be a burden on you," she said.

Saoirse shook her head, "You wouldn't be a burden, promise. Besides, it would only be for one night."

Noelle chewed her lower lip and Saoirse sighed.

"Look, if it will make you feel better, you can pay me back with the money we get from the job," Saoirse added.

"Saoirse don't pressure her," Travis said. He placed a hand on the teen's shoulder and smiled politely at her. "This is probably the cheapest place this side of Stackton you'll find. It's only three caps per night."

Noelle nodded and returned his smile.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," she said. "Sleep well and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sleep well," Saoirse called, as she and Travis headed for the stairs.

Noelle watched them leave and brought a familiar pang to her chest. Seeing Travis and Saoirse reminded her of before. Of the times when she was safe and sound in her own home. She finished off the last Potato Crisp before she grabbed her partially finished Nuka Cola bottle and headed for the counter.

"I'd like a room please," she said.

The bartender nodded and withdrew a key from beneath the desk.

"Three caps, please," he said, and she handed him the correct amount. "Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," she said, and took the key. She turned toward the stairs and yawned as she trudged to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello again! I know it's been quite some time since I've updated, but I hope this will be enough to tide you over for the time being. Also, here's the soundtrack for the story if anyone's interested.**

**Moon Over Miami (1935, Ray Charles version)**

**Wouldn't it be nice (1966, Beach Boys)**

**Surfin' Safari (1962, Beach Boys)**

**Hooked on a Feeling (1974, Blue Swede)**

**Lover man oh where can you be (1941, Ella Fitzgerald version)**

**Sh-Boom (1956, Crew Cuts version)**

**That Lucky Old Sun (1949, Frankie Laine)**

**Beyond the Sea (1959, Bobby Darin)**

**Come and get your Love (1973, Redbone)**

**Rip it Up (1957, Little Richard)**

**Summertime Blues (1958, Eddie Cochran)**

**Oh Boy (1957, The Crickets & Buddy Holly)**

**The Peanut Vendor (1933, Perez Prado version)**

**Sugar Town (1967, Nancy Sinatra)**

**Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (1941, Andrew Sisters version)**

**Chain of Fools (Aretha Franklin, 1968)**

**This Bitter Earth (Dinah Washington, 1959)**

**If you're new to this story or you've been following since the prologue, feel free to let me know what you think of the story so far.**

**Disclaimer: Bethesda owns Fallout, Colstrent/Symmetrymaster/Ethereal City/Rock-It-Ridley/Malachi288 own their OCs. I do however, own Travis and Saoirse Mason. Also, I don't own the title of this chapter, Disney does. Hats off to you if you get the reference.**


	4. Chapter Three: All for One

9

_**Chapter Three: All for one**_

After dinner, Milton made his way through the dark evening to Stackton. He couldn't afford to purchase any supplies at Rolando's, not with this debt over his head. And if this job was going to be as difficult as he thought, there was only one place to go.

He hoped Camila's Bargain Basement was still open. One street away from his house, he turned right. The house and basement lights were still on, and he silently thanked the universe.

He knocked on the front door and a Hispanic girl wearing a bright yellow mechanic's jumpsuit with goggles strapped to her forehead answered the door.

"Hey Mil, welcome back," she said with a warm smile.

"Hey Camila," he said, and ran a hand through his beard. "Are you still open, or am I too late?"

She opened the door a bit further.

"Come on in," she said.

He followed her inside the living room and through the door to the basement.

"As it turns out, I was just about to close up for the night," she said, as they descended the stairs.

The steps creaked under the weight of their feet.

"Well, looks like I made it just in time," he said.

What had been a Pre-War fallout shelter had been converted into a shop. One of the few not underwater.

Shelves lined the walls of the square room filled with various explosives and weapons. Several chests lined either wall as a counter sat near the back wall. He stopped in front of the counter, as she came to stand behind it.

"So, what'll it be?" Camila asked.

"I could use some Forty-Four," he said.

"Forty-Four Magnum Rounds, coming right up," Camila said. "How much would you like?"

Milton tapped his fingers on the table.

"How much do you have?" He asked.

"Just got a shipment of sixty rounds," she replied. "You want some Psycho or Buffout with that?"

"You got some?" He asked.

She nodded, as she bent down. She grunted as she placed a rectangular, wooden crate on the counter. Inside, were containers of Psycho, Buffout, Jet, and a myriad of other drugs.

"Just got it this morning," she said.

He sighed as he removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. He knew ammunition would cost him two caps a round. But he didn't purchase Psycho and Buffout regularly enough to know.

"How much?" He asked.

"Both are five caps a pop," she said, placing her hands on the counter.

In the end, he bought half of her Forty-Four Magnum ammo and a few containers of Psycho and Buffout. With his pockets full, he went back to his house and took a shot of Psycho before he collapsed into his bed.

"One last job," he murmured before he fell asleep.

* * *

From the time she stepped through the gates until sun down, Natasha searched every bar, store, and hotel for her target. And every time, she received the same answer; sorry, haven't seen her. Eventually, she wandered to the bar the Moon Over Miami. The Ray Charles song crooned from the jukebox as Natasha took a seat at the bar counter.

"What'll it be tonight, ma'am?" Asked the bartender, with a slight southern accent.

"I'll have a bottle of vodka and a Gator burger," She replied, and the man nodded.

"Of course," he turned toward the shelves of alcohol behind the counter, and picked up the vodka. "You want the bottle, or a glass?"

"Which is cheaper?" Countered Nat.

"A shot is only seven caps and the bottle is usually forty," he replied, as he turned to put the container on the bar. "But tonight is ladies' night, so everything is half off."

"I'll take the bottle," she said, and slid a handful of caps across the counter. "Keep the change."

He nodded and handed her the bottle. He then went through the door behind the counter. She took the top off, and took a swig.

_And what would she say if she saw you now?_ Came a nagging voice inside Nat. She shook her head of those thoughts, as she took another drink.

_It doesn't matter what, because she's not here now,_ she reminded herself.

"Sir," Nat said, when she caught sight of the bartender again.

"How can I help?" He asked.

"I'm looking for a teenage girl," she answered. A tight lump formed in her throat, and she swallowed it. "She's five feet seven inches, kind of lanky with a sleeveless off-white dress and knee high red, white, and blue socks."

The bartender nodded, as he put the glass on the counter to Natasha's left. He grabbed another and began to clean it.

"She might have been here," he responded with a shrug. "Might not have. What's it to you?"

"I was a friend of her mother's," Nat said. "Childhood friends, in fact. Just before the kid came here, her mother died but she asked me to be the one to tell her daughter."

Nat allowed a lone tear to escape her eye, before she wiped it away. The bartender hesitated, before he leaned against the counter.

"She was here all right," he replied. "She wasn't alone either."

"Is she still here now?" Nat asked.

"Yes," he said.

Her eyes widened. _Finally._

"Really, where?" She asked, leaning over the counter.

The man pointed to the ceiling.

"She's upstairs sleeping," he replied. "She rented a room. Number twelve."

_She's here,_ thought Nat. _I just hope I'm not too late._

"Do you know where she's headed?" She continued. "Did she say?"

The bartender's brows knitted together and he momentarily paused in his cleaning.

"Well from what I could tell, she and her group were headed for Orlando," the bartender answered. "Sounds like they were going to meet with a caravan an hour before sunrise."

Before she could enquire further, her stomach growled as the scent of Gator filled her nose. It'd been a few days since she'd eaten something more substantial than squirrel on a stick.

"Well either way, go ahead and get your bearings first," the man said. "I'll go see if your meal is ready."

He disappeared behind through the door again, leaving Natasha to her thoughts. She stared at the mostly full vodka bottle and sighed. She stared at it for some time, before she took another drink.

Once she received her food, she slid the bartender a few caps for the meal.

"Do you know where I can get some ammo from?" She asked, before taking a bite of burger.

The bartender pointed to the door.

"If you go outside and take a left, there's a placed called Rolando's," he said. "A bit pricey if you ask me, but it should be able to give you whatever you need."

"Perfect," she said, as she washed down her food with vodka. "How much for a room here?"

"Three caps per night," he answered, and she handed him the correct amount.

He in turn handed her a room key. She took it and continued eating. When she'd finished her burger, she thanked him for her meal, before making her way upstairs to the first room on the left.

She placed the Shishkebab and dual pistols beneath her pillow, and the partially full vodka on the nightstand beside her bed. She sat on the queen sized mattress and stared at the container for quite some time. Eventually, she took the vodka and drank some more, before she heard that nagging voice in her head again.

_What the hell are you doing? You know where she is._

She pushed that thought aside, as she placed the rest on the nightstand.

_It doesn't matter, I'll have time in the morning,_ she thought as she lay down on the mattress. Sleep found her soon after.

* * *

The next morning, she woke up when the sun hit her face. She cursed silently as she removed the blankets and grabbed and holstered her weapons. She made her way to the door and just as she'd opened it, she partially turned toward the nightstand. She debated over whether to grab it.

_Screw it,_ she thought, before she nabbed the vodka and headed out the door. She turned in her key to the bar counter, before she left the Moon Over Miami and headed for Rolando's.

Admittedly, she couldn't remember if she'd been to Orlando when she'd first come to the Sunshine Wastes. Everything after that night had been a blur, and she just hoped she wasn't too late.

Thankfully, the store was open and she went in and purchased as much ammunition as she could carry. When she was done, she raced to the north gate.

The next morning, Ariadne awoke before sunrise. As she walked past Rolando's, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She partially turned around and her brows knitted together when she didn't see anyone.

"Frickin' weird," she muttered, and shook her head.

Then again, it wouldn't have been the first time she'd felt that way. Ever since that night, she'd pushed herself to travel further and longer. She pulled out her cedar baseball bat, as she approached the northern wall. She could see a group standing just inside the wooden structure and hear Brahmin mooing.

"Really? I heard there were only three," came Noelle's voice.

"That's what my dad said," Saoirse said, with a shrug.

"Hey guys," Ariadne said, doing her best to stifle a yawn. "What's up?"

"Noelle and I were just talking about the Jets as we wait for Milton," Saoirse answered.

"I thought we all agreed on the time?" Ariadne asked.

"We did," Travis said, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Seems like some people don't know what punctuality means."

"Who?" Milton asked, as he approached the group.

Travis sighed and shook his head.

"Nothing," James said. He looked ahead to a woman with a blonde ponytail. "We're ready to head out, Tegan."

Tegan turned to the others.

"You heard the man, let's move," she called.

"About damn time," Zeke sighed.

"No need to get bitchy about it," Virgil said, as the large and tall gates creaked open.

The assembled mercenaries and caravan stepped out into the cool, yet humid morning. The caravan hands remained close to the Brahmin, as the guards surrounded them. One by one, the stars winked out above, as the trees silently stood watch. Ariadne maneuvered around the rusted cars and broken asphalt. The night life gurgled and growled around them.

"So, what are the Jets?" Ariadne asked.

"The Jets are a Jetblading team," Saoirse replied. "Before each game starts, everyone bets on who they want to win. Then, a player from each team fights another player with rocket boosters, human entrails, and flamethrowers."

"I was asking Saoirse how many players were on each team," Noelle said. She glanced at the other dark haired teen, "She said there are up to ten teammates."

"They don't all play simultaneously," Saoirse said. "I think there's only one person from each team on the field at a time."

"So, who wins?" Ariadne asked.

Saoirse shrugged, "Whoever the audience wants to win."

"It sounds like something we had back in the Mojave," Ariadne said. "It was called The Thorn. My mom said people used to watch creatures and people fight in the arena, and they'd bet on who would win."

"What happened to her?" Noelle asked, partially turning to look at Ariadne.

"What happened to who?" The teen questioned.

Saoirse shook her head, "Noelle, don't. Just let it go."

"Your mom," Noelle continued. "What happened to her?"

Just as Ariadne opened her mouth to respond, a feral ghoul crawled out from under a truck a few inches from her foot. She gritted her teeth as she pulled out her baseball bat again, while Saoirse withdrew two 10 mm pistols.

"Shit," Noelle called, before she turned back toward the other caravan members. "Ferals."

More ghouls crawled out of the woods or from beneath cars and trucks.

Just as Ariadne raised her bat, a red stream of light sped past her and hit the ghoul in the forehead. She lowered her bat as another followed in quick succession.

"Then let's take them down," Zeke said from behind.

Travis rushed forward with a flaming chainsaw as Noelle awkwardly pulled out the Chinese pistol in its holster on the left side of her hip.

"Full disclosure, I'm a shitty fighter," she said, and fired at a feral ghoul's chest.

"Then stick with me," Saoirse replied, as she finished off the ghoul Noelle had shot.

It fell on the ground and another stumbled over it.

"Sounds like a plan," Ariadne said, as she raised her bat. She swung it down on the ghoul's head. The creature stretched out an arm, and Ariadne hit it again.

"Aim for their heads or chests," Saoirse said as she danced out of the way as a feral ghoul swiped at her.

"Thanks for the tip," Noelle said, and fired at the creature's head.

Ariadne smacked it with her bat, and it landed on the ground beside the others.

"How many of these are there?" She asked.

"Hopefully not too many more," Noelle said, as she reloaded her pistol. She turned to Saoirse, who had switched her pink baseball bat. "Right?"

Saoirse shrugged as she swung at a ghoul's midsection.

"Hell if I know."

"Hey, language," said Travis and Saoirse rolled her eyes.

Ariadne felt a pang of melancholy hit her. However, she pushed it aside as she swung at the feral ghoul again.

* * *

As soon as the ghouls appeared, Virgil hid behind the wagon with a few of the caravan hands. He watched as Travis charged forward while Zeke, Milton, James, and the other guards fired from a distance. The teenagers made up the frontal assault, using pistols or baseball bats. Saoirse was especially aggressive, using her pistols to pick off feral ghouls from a distance and switching to her baseball bat when they got too close.

"Oh shit," said one of the caravan hands.

Virgil felt his pulse race as he looked down to where the man pointed.

A feral ghoul emerged from the forest and wandered toward their group. Virgil turned to the man who'd pointed out the feral.

"Do we have any explosives?" He asked.

"To sell," replied the brunet. "Why?"

"Give me some, now," Virgil said. "I need them."

The brunet man reached beneath the tarp covered wagon, before he handed Virgil a few frag mines. Virgil took them and tossed them along the creature's path. He tossed a few more, before he gestured for the wagon and everyone hiding behind it to move back. They did as he said, and all watched as the feral ghoul's leg blew off. They cheered when it fell over but stopped when it continued to crawl toward them.

"Just wait for it," Virgil instructed.

Soon, the creature had its hand on the second frag mine. Again, all watched as the feral ghoul's arm blew off. Virgil monitored it carefully as it half-crawled closer to them, before it stopped moving altogether.

"Road's clear," Zeke said, as he kicked the creature out of the way. He picked up the remaining frag mine and examined it. "Who's is this?"

"It belongs to the caravan," the brunet man replied.

Virgil closed his mouth and sighed, as he picked it up and handed it to the brunet man.

"Are we ready to move out?" Tegan asked, as she came to stand beside Virgil.

"Travis, James, and the girls are still clearing the ferals from the road," Zeke said, as he jabbed a thumb behind him.

"And looting their corpses," Milton said, as he joined them.

"Then we'll wait," Tegan said, her blonde ponytail waving in the breeze.

Tegan was the leader of this expedition of the Sunshine Caravan. She wore leather armor and had two pistols holstered at her belt.

"We're good to go, Tegan," Travis said, and held up a thumb.

"Let's move then, we're burning daylight," she called, and the entire caravan resumed down the path.

In his peripheral vision, Virgil saw Travis approach Saoirse. He'd holstered his Ripper and his brows were knitted together.

"Saoirse, are you okay? You weren't scratched were you?" He asked, as a slight frown appeared on his face.

The teen nodded and put her baseball bat back on her belt.

"I'm fine dad," she replied.

"Yeah, she helped keep them off us," Noelle chimed in, as they rejoined the group. She turned her head to the left but Virgil couldn't see who she was talking to. "Right, Ariadne?"

"Yeah, she was a badass," Ariadne agreed.

"Okay," he said, before he moved closer to the front.

Virgil weaved his way through the chatty teenage girls, past the Brahmin, and through the caravan hands toward Travis.

"That kid handled herself well back there," he said.

"What the?" Asked Travis, as his umber eyes widened before he realized who was next to him. "Oh, it's you," he said with a sigh. "Yeah, she did. Taught her everything she knows."

Virgil placed a hand on Travis's shoulder.

"Well, you've done a bang-up job," the ghoul said with a smile.

Travis shrugged Virgil's hand away.

"Thanks."

Silence filled the space between them, and Virgil eventually moved to walk beside Milton.

"So, how's life for Milton?" The ghoul asked.

Milton sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Does that mean it's good or bad?" Virgil asked. "I can't tell."

* * *

**Hey guys, I know it's been a spell since I've updated and I apologize about that. Between other projects, school, and work, this semester has been super busy. And since it's the end of the semester, things will only busier. I appreciate your patience, and hope Chapter 4 and 5 will be up soon.**

**I would once again like to thank my beta, as well as Malachi288, Symmtrymaster, Ridley, Colstrent, and Ethereal City for trusting me to use their characters.**

**If you're a regular or just dropping by, please feel free to leave a review!**


	5. Chapter Four: And One for all

_**Chapter Four: And One for all**_

_The sky grew dark, blotting out the sun as the wind picked up. Travis stood next to Aria as Ricardo pointed at Aria._

"_You should be ashamed of yourself," a man yelled. Spit flew from his mouth and landed on the ground in front of the pair. "You betrayed me and your tribe!"_

_ Travis stood beside Aria, who was physically shaking in her vault suit. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, as she gritted her teeth._

_ "She hasn't done anything," Travis yelled._

_ By this point, a light rain began to fall. Other members of the tribe emerged from their homes to watch cautiously. Ricardo ignored Travis entirely, and closed the distance between himself and Aria. He turned to face her._

_ "I will give you one more chance, Aria," Ricardo said. "Renew your loyalty to your tribe, send this outsider away, and this will all be over."_

_ "Ha," Aria said, as she threw back her head and laughed. She sneered at Ricardo, "I do not need empty oaths or spineless leaders to know where my loyalties lie, Ricardo."_

_ Ricardo growled as he clenched his fists._

_ "You're going to wish you hadn't brought him home, Aria," he said._

_ "Aria, go get out of here," Travis said, as he partially turned to her. "I'll hold him off, just run as fast as you can."_

_ She shook her head, "I'm not leaving you."_

_ "You should listen to your lover, Aria," Ricardo snarled. "You might stand a chance of surviving."_

_ "Maybe," she said, and slowly pulled the ring off her left finger. She tossed it into the mud at Ricardo's feet, "But I have no wish to survive without him." She partially turned to Travis, "I will leave, but I will be back."_

_ He nodded, "Go, I can handle him."_

_ Aria sprinted away as lightning and thunder lit up the sky. Travis turned his full attention to Ricardo as he pulled out his knuckles. He swung a fist at Ricardo's jaw, who grunted as he slid back. Travis charged at the man, who avoided another hit to the face._

_ Ricardo then front snap kicked Travis in the knee. He gritted his teeth as he fell to the muddy ground on his knees. Ricardo followed up with a punch, which Travis caught with his hands. When Ricardo removed his hands, Travis stood up and swept his leg beneath Ricardo's. The other man fell to the ground, and Travis straddled him as he wrapped his hands around Ricardo's throat._

_ "You should've just left her alone," Travis said, pausing in between words to punch Ricardo in the face._

_ Ricardo flipped Travis onto his back and wrapped his hands around his throat._

_ "You could've prevented this," he sneered. "All you had to do was walk away. But you couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?"_

_ It began to rain harder now. In his peripheral vision, Travis could see more villagers emerge from their homes. He gasped for breath as his knee hit Ricardo's gut. The other man doubled over, and Travis got up. When Ricardo stood up, both men charged at each other._

_ Just as they were within striking distance, Ricardo was hit with a shotgun shell. He grunted and put his hand to a blossoming red circle on his chest, as he knelt to the ground. The pair looked to find Aria with a shotgun barrel smoking. She carried a backpack on her small shoulders and her brows were knitted together._

_ "Touch him, and I'll finish it," she said. She then turned to Travis, "We should go."_

_ "Right behind you," he said._

_ Travis turned away from Ricardo and took Aria's hand. The circle of bystanders parted to let them through. Travis didn't look back as they walked through small huts and dying fires._

_**XXXXX**_

"Travis? Everything okay?"

Travis shook his head as he turned to James.

"Sorry, just lost in thought I guess," Travis said.

The sun was close to its zenith and the air was much warmer than when they'd first set out. Both men walked close to the front of the caravan, with the three teenage girls ahead of them. Their conversation drifted along the slight breeze, occasionally pierced by laughter. Virgil walked beside Milton, not allowing the latter to get a word in edgewise. Zeke walked in the very back as he scanned the forest on either side of the road.

"Do you have a lot of memories in Orlando?" James asked.

"Too many," Travis replied with a sigh.

He wondered if Milo would remember him, or even still be part of the Red Gator Tribe. Every time he'd thought back to that night, he hoped Aria's shot had killed Milo. And if it hadn't? Either way, they'd find out when they reached Orlando.

James nodded, and the two continued to walk in relative silence. The forest soon turned into open grasslands with bodies of water dotting the landscape. His eyes widened when he saw what looked like logs in the water begin to move.

"Stay sharp everyone," he said. "Mutated Gators ahead."

"Noted," Zeke responded.

* * *

_Shit, gators. I hate those things,_ thought Milton as he scanned his surroundings. His heart pounded in his chest and he itched for a shot of Psycho.

"Well, hopefully we don't get eaten alive," Virgil remarked. "Because I do _not_ make good gator food."

"Virgil, shut the hell up man," he hissed.

Despite himself, his gaze lingered on the moving logs in the water. Once again, he felt the familiar siren call.

"I've fought gators before," Saoirse said, as she withdrew her laser pistol. "I know how to handle them."

"In that case, you're going first," Virgil said.

"With pleasure," Saoirse said with a mischievous grin.

"Don't try to pick them off," Travis called from behind. "Remember, wait until you can see them before you start shooting."

"Got it," Saoirse replied as Noelle and Ariadne pulled out their respective weapons.

Milton partially turned to see Travis with an Overseer's Guardian, as James withdrew his .45 pistol and Zeke his laser rifle. Milton decided to pull out his own .44 Magnums. The other caravan guards extracted their weapons, and grew closer to the animal.

Milton's pulse raced as a brown, scaly gator slunk out of the water. He reached for a frag grenade on his belt. In his peripheral vision, he saw Virgil slip back toward the wagon.

"How are gators with explosives?" He asked, as Saoirse squinted, and aimed her gun at the creature.

"I wouldn't recommend it," she replied. "Unless you want to piss them off."

Saoirse then fired two shots at its snout. The first hit, which left a circular hole in the top of the creature's nose. The area around the hole sizzled and the gator hissed. It moved its nose just in time to avoid the second shot and crawled quickly toward the group.

"Aim for its head," Saoirse said, as she and the other teenagers backed away from the mutated gator.

A spray of bullets and fusion cells rain down on the gator. The creature hissed and slapped its tail on the ground, as it tried to inch closer to them. Just then, a second slid out of the water.

_Just take the Psycho,_ said a voice inside Milton's head as he fired two shots from his Magnums. _Not yet,_ another part of him added.

Eventually, the first gator stopped moving while more slid onto shore.

"We'll need to split up," Travis suggested. "Milton, James, and Zeke you take a gator or two while Noelle, Ariadne, Saoirse, and I will take another."

"Where's Virgil?" James asked, as he reloaded his gun.

Milton jabbed a thumb behind him, "He went back there."

Travis sighed, "We don't have time to check on him. We need to take care of these guys."

The group then split up. Travis and the teenagers splashed further down the trail, as James, Milton, and Zeke fired at the ones in front of them.

"Now things get interesting," Zeke said, as he grabbed a container of Psycho before he jammed it into his arm.

The number of times he pulled the trigger increased. The creature hissed and snapped its jaws as it inched closer to them.

_Ah, what the hell,_ thought Milton as he too withdrew a container of Psycho and stabbed it into his arm. He felt the energy fill him from head to toe, before he fired like a mad man at the nearest animal.

* * *

As soon as the gators rose out of the water, Nat was ready. She stood and watched as the group split up. She followed Travis and the teenagers, making sure to remain unseen.

Travis, Saoirse, Noelle, and Ariadne focused on one mutated gator at a time, using their guns or mines. One of the creatures decided to corner Ariadne, who'd managed to blow off part of its tail with a mine. Natasha wanted to help but didn't know how without revealing her presence. The other three were reloading, and she could see Ariadne's eyes widen in fear. Nat took out her dual pistols and moved to aim at the animal's head. She fired twice, and the gator stopped moving.

"Nice," Saoirse said.

Just then, Ariadne and Travis's gaze moved to her location just before she switched tree branches.

"Let's go join the others," he said.

She watched them leave and continued to follow them.

_Dammit, that was too close,_ she thought as the group reunited. _Just like earlier. From now on, no more interference unless it's absolutely necessary._

With that, she continued to follow them along the higher branches of each tree. She scanned the tree tops carefully, hoping there were no more surprise attacks.

* * *

Around sunset, the Sunshine Caravan made camp in a forest. Groups of guards sat around fires as dinner cooked and they relaxed after a day of travel. James, Saoirse, Noelle, and Travis sat close to their camp fire. James watched as Travis and Saoirse put together a wooden spit, before Travis grabbed some meat from his bag and began to put them on sticks.

"What are those?" Milton asked, as he joined them.

"Pieces of gator meat," Saoirse replied.

"Smells good," Zeke said, as he came to sit beside Milton.

"Just wait until they're done," Saoirse said, and licked her lips.

Travis chuckled as he tied each stick tightly to the portion of the spit above the fire.

"We have to cook them first, remember?" He asked when he was done.

"How long do they usually take to cook?" Noelle asked.

"About a half hour," Travis replied. "Long enough for us to set up our sleeping bags and check the perimeter at least once."

"A few of the guards are already on it," Saoirse said. "So is Ariadne."

"Do you know if she went with anyone?" Travis asked.

"I thought she went with Virgil," Noelle said.

Travis merely sighed and shook his head.

"While we're on the subject of night time, should the adults take watch?" James asked.

"Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea," Travis replied.

"I'd sleep better knowing there was someone between me and the next mutated gator," Zeke grunted.

Travis rolled his eyes as Milton ran a hand through his beard.

"How long should a watch be?" Milton asked.

James was only partially listening, as his gaze moved to the fire. His stomach growled at the scent of the gator meat cooking. The last time he'd had a cooked meal was back in the Commonwealth with Svetlana in their little hut outside Diamond City.

Absently, he turned his left wrist up and looked at the initials 'SB'. _You're mine_ she'd said, as she pressed the brand into his wrist. He winced when he felt the wound throb beneath his palm. _Wherever the hell you are,_ James thought as he rubbed his thumb over the brand, _I hope you've found another soul to torment._

* * *

**Author's Note: I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I'm really sorry for the delay. Drama in my personal life, combined with school and work, have kept me plenty busy. If it makes you feel better, I have Chapters Five through Nine already written. They'll need to go through some editing, and then they'll be up.**

**I would once again like to thank Symmetrymaster, Gimkin64/Rid, Malachi288, Colstrent, and Ethereal City for not only allowing me to use their OCs, but for having enough faith in me to write a story with them. You guys rock!**

**I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. I know it's early, but I promise there will be some interesting twists and turns coming up.**

**If you're enjoying the story so far, please feel free to leave a review! Also, tell me who your favorite character is in the comments. Surprise me!**

**Disclaimer: Bethesda owns Fallout, and Symmetrymaster, Rock-It-Ridley, Malachi288, Colstrent, and Ethereal City own their own OCs.**


	6. Chapter Five: Growing Pains

_**Chapter Five: Growing Pains**_

"Looks like rain," James muttered as he looked to the darkening sky.

The other members of his group slept in a circle around what logs remained of the fire. The numerous other campfires had long since gone out, their smoke having dissipated in the wind hours before. The rhythmic breathing of bodies mingled with the soft munching of Brahmin.

He'd been on watch since Milton had first woken him a few hours ago. Now, he surveyed the dark campsite as a cool wind whipped through his graying hair.

James had been in the Sunshine Wastes for a little over three years. Regardless of where he was in Post-Apocalyptic America, as Svetlana had put it, he knew what it meant when the sky changed from gray to green.

"Guys, wake up," he called as he shot up from his sleeping bag. "There's a rad storm coming."

He saw Saoirse and Noelle's eyes widen before they left their sleeping bags. James went to shake Milton as Ariadne, Virgil, and other caravan members hurried out of bed.

"What's all the shouting for?" Zeke grumbled, as he rolled over.

"Rad storm," Saoirse replied, and pointed up. Reluctantly, the well-muscled man looked up. Lightning and thunder marred the sky as the bare tree branches bent in the wind.

"Where's the nearest town?" Milton asked.

"Holy Wood," Travis replied as he finished tying up his sleeping bag. "Follow the road ahead until you see the sign, you can't miss it."

"Someone should stay behind and help the others," Saoirse said.

Just then, a crack of lightning struck the ground not far from their campsite. Noelle flinched as Travis, Milton, Zeke, Virgil, and James's eyes widened at how close they had been to losing one of the caravan's Brahmins.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you," Milton said. "But I'm going to Holly Wood."

"I'll go with you," Zeke said.

Virgil shrugged, "Doesn't matter much to me. I'm not the one who has to worry about their flesh rotting off if I stay out here."

Travis rolled his eyes.

"Your compassion is noted," he said. "I'll stay behind with the girls, while you three get going."

With that, the three men followed the rest of the caravan down the road.

James sighed, "I'll stay too. Just in case we run into any trouble."

Travis nodded, "Thanks."

A few minutes later, the rest of their group ran as fast as their legs could carry them. As they tried to outrace the radiation storm, another set of footsteps joined theirs. He briefly glanced behind him, but the only thing he saw was their abandoned campsite.

"Are you okay?" Travis asked.

"Thought I heard something," James said and shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We're almost there, right?"

* * *

Zeke and the others eventually found the bright red and yellow sign welcoming them to Holy Wood. More lightning and thunder followed above in the darkening sky. As they searched for a place to ride out the storm, they passed buildings with boarded-up doors and windows.

"If we don't find something soon, we'll turn into you," Milton said as he gestured to Virgil.

"Eh, it's not so bad," the ghoul replied with a shrug. "You get used to the rotting flesh smell."

Milton's nose scrunched up and his lip curled upward.

"There's a building with a door right there," Zeke said with a nod.

The trio raced to the partially collapsed apartment building. Zeke got there first and jiggled the doorknob.

"Looks like we're in business," he said. As he opened the door he partially turned to Virgil, "You stay out here." When the ghoul raised a brow at him, he added, "For whenever the others come."

"What if a Radscorpion shows up or a feral ghoul?" Virgil asked as Milton opened the door.

Zeke sighed. "Milton and I will watch out the windows. If anything comes to get you, we'll bring you inside."

Before the ghoul could object further, Zeke went inside and shut the door. Lightning lit up the otherwise dark lobby. He went to the nearest window and withdrew his automatic laser pistol.

"Milton, go to that window," Zeke said as he pointed to the one on the other side of the Lobby door. "We're going to keep watch until the others get here."

_Which they'd better do soon,_ he thought as his eyes scanned the otherwise empty streets._ Travel companions or no, I'm not waiting here forever._

Milton withdrew his magnums as he followed Zeke's instructions.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait long. Moments later, Virgil was waving his hands over his head frantically. Crawling toward Virgil from the left was a Radscorpion, while the rest of their group came from the right.

"Hey, they're coming," Zeke said. He pointed to the door with his pistol. "Get ready."

Milton holstered his weapons as he went to the door. Zeke kept his laser pistol aimed at the creature as Milton quickly opened the door. The others rushed inside, and Milton slammed the door shut.

"Well, that was a close one," Virgil said as he sighed in relief.

"What took you guys so long?" Milton asked as Zeke watched the Radscorpion scurry away.

"I thought I heard footsteps," James said. "It sounded like we were being followed."

"I didn't know you were schizophrenic," Virgil remarked.

_Great, just what we need. A stalker,_ thought Zeke as he holstered his weapon. _Either way, we need to watch our backs better._

Travis rolled his eyes at the comment.

"Imaginary footsteps aside, I'm going upstairs to explore," Zeke said as he turned toward the elevators. "There could be some good loot."

As they waited for dinner the night before, Zeke had decided to indulge the addicted gambler to a game of Caravan. He'd started out with five containers of Psycho and by dinner, he only had two left.

_Note to self, don't gamble with Milton again_, he thought. _And find some more Psycho._

"Someone should go with you," Travis said. "Just in case."

Before Zeke could give an excuse, Saoirse spoke up.

"Noelle, Ariadne, and I will go."

Zeke grit his teeth but knew resistance was futile.

"Fine," he grumbled.

With that, the three of them _clicked_ across the black and white tiled floor. The elevators to the right and left were either entirely collapsed or were filled with junk. That left the one in the center. Pressing the 'Up' button, the door opened.

"We'll be back," Saoirse said as they all entered the elevator.

Once the door opened again, she turned to him.

"Before you snap at us to stay out of your way, the three of us will stick together. But if one of us needs something, we should have some kind of signal or code word."

"What about Blue Swede?" Noelle suggested to which Ariadne rolled her eyes.

"Okay, we'll use Blue Swede," Saoirse said as she withdrew her Hunting Rifle.

_Finally,_ Zeke thought as he watched the three teens walk down the dimly lit hallway. He waited until they were out of sight before he walked down the hall himself. He passed by a room whose door lay on the ground. Peering further inside, debris-filled most of what was left of the room. Looking down at the ground, he noticed two skeletons trapped beneath the rubble.

_Tough break,_ he thought has he turned to the next room. He knew it wasn't productive to waste time thinking about what those poor saps might have been doing before the bombs dropped. They were dead now, so what did it matter?

He moved through the other rooms down the hall, checking cabinets, desks, nightstands, anything that might hold loot. After some time, he found a Stimpak, several caps, and a container of Jet to add to his collection. He was initially hesitant to take the Jet but figured he could swap it for Psycho with Milton later.

As he entered another apartment however, he almost missed the feral ghoul beneath the coffee table. He turned around to see the creature emerge from under the wooden furniture. The ghoul rasped as it swiped its hand at him. He fired his laser pistol at the zombie's chest as it ran toward him. When the creature lay on the ground, he kicked it just to be safe.

As he stepped further into the room, he heard more feral ghouls. He turned his gaze to the open bedroom where two ghouls emerged. He aimed his laser pistols at the first zombie's head as it charged at him. Once again, he took a few steps backs. The first feral tripped over its fallen companion, and he turned his attention to the second. Aiming his laser pistol at its head, he pulled the trigger.

Just then, the first ghoul got back up. He quickly reloaded and shot at the creature. It fell at his feet, and he nudged each ghoul corpse before removing any valuables. He then holstered his weapon and searched the rest of the apartment.

"Damn, picked clean," he muttered as he left the room a few minutes later.

Walking toward the end of the hall, he noticed a set of double doors that looked perfectly preserved.

"Now we're talking," he murmured.

He stopped outside the doors and listened for a moment. The familiar rasping told him there was at least one ghoul inside.

_One ghoul, piece of cake,_ thought Zeke as he withdrew his automatic laser pistol. With one hand on one of the doors, he slowly opened it.

The only light in the room was provided by the lightning and thunder outside. Windows lined the left wall, which were completely boarded up. Dark gray and brown furniture sat around granite coffee tables. A set of stairs lined the right wall.

Zeke crept into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar as he did so. With both hands on his weapon, he ventured further into the living room. When he was done, he moved to through the door and into the kitchen.

His boots _clicked_ on the dark tile floor. A metallic bowl sat on the counter its contents long gone. He kept his ears open as he moved to the walk-in pantry. Ghouls preferred cramped dimly lit spaces. When nothing attacked him, he left the pantry and moved around toward the boarded-up windows. The radiation storm continued outside, occasionally lighting up with the otherwise dark kitchen.

After he'd finished searching the room, he went through the door across from the counter with the bowl. He explored the long hallway, with its faded portraits his only company. In the middle of the hallway was an elevator.

"Does this even still work?" Zeke mused to himself. He shrugged as he holstered his weapon. "Guess there's only one way to find out."

He pressed the up button, but nothing happened. He made his way through the apartment and ascended the stairs in the living room. He took a tentative step as the familiar rasping reached his ears. Scanning the hallway, he walked to the first door on the right. Slowly he opened it and found only an extravagant office.

_People before the War certainly lived excessively,_ he thought as he closed the door.

With that, he turned to the next room on the left. A small bedroom with two beds, a wardrobe, and a walk-in closet. As he closed the door and grew closer to the end of the hall, the ghoul grew louder.

The next two rooms consisted of another bedroom and a game room. Just as Zeke reached the end of the hallway, his eyes widened. Emanating from beneath the door was a green glow. He silently swore and raced out of the apartment.

"Blue Swede," he whisper-yelled once he'd closed the door.

* * *

"Okay, so here's the plan," Saoirse said as the four of them stood in a circle. The teens had joined Zeke outside the penthouse shortly after he called them. "Ariadne and I will cover the stairs with mines while Zeke and Noelle will wait at the double doors. Everyone get the plan?" When the group nodded, they all took some Rad-X. "Good, then we'll see you soon."

With that, Ari cautiously opened the apartment door. Both withdrew their respective weapons.

"Exactly how many mines do you have?" Ari asked as they crept toward the stairs.

Saoirse turned to her friend and smirked.

"Thirty," she replied. "But I don't plan on using all of them."

Saoirse carefully tested the first couple of steps, pausing to listen before taking them two at a time. Ariadne mimicked her movements as they reached the top.

"Would you mind keeping an eye on the door for me?" Saoirse asked as she holstered her rifle. "We don't want to spring our surprise just yet."

"Are you sure?" Ari asked, and Saoirse nodded. "All right."

With that, Saoirse went about placing the mines along the stairs. She occasionally stopped to listen to the ghoul. Whenever Ari shook her head, she resumed her worked.

"We're in business," Saoirse said from the top of the stairs.

"Good because this thing's giving me the creeps," Ari said.

Both girls crept down the hall with their weapons in hand. When they reached the door, Saoirse holstered one of her pistols before slowly opening the door. Lying in the corner was the ghoul. The enormous windows on the right wall were boarded up. A sprawling king-sized bed lined the left wall with a short nightstand beside it.

The ghoul stirred as Ari aimed her Red Ryder BB gun at its chest. She fired repeatedly as Saoirse did the same. The creature rushed toward them as they backed down the hall. Shortly before the ghoul caught up to them, they raced downstairs.

The zombie followed them, stepping on a mine as it did so. The teens closed their eyes and shielded their faces as the leg flew off the creature's body. Saoirse opened her eyes and watched the ghoul step on another mine through her arms. The creature fell face first onto the stairs, landing on a cluster of mines. Both ran across the room as the ghoul exploded into green paste.

"Well, that takes care of that," Saoirse said as she holstered her pistols. "I'll take care of the rest of the mines, and you can give the others the good news."

Ari nodded, holstering her weapon before she ran to the double doors.

_Well, crisis averted,_ thought Saoirse as she made her way to the stairs. _Although I do wish it would have been less messy,_ she thought as she stepped around the ghoul's corpse.

* * *

After Noelle and the others had thoroughly plundered the apartment, the group left the building in search of the rest of the caravan. For their trouble, Noelle found quite a few chems, some Stimpaks, Pre-War money, bottlecaps, and a few other goodies.

Clouds floated across the peaceful blue sky above. Noelle walked with Saoirse and Ariadne behind the adults.

"Tegan and the rest of the caravan couldn't have gone far," Travis said, as he held up a hand against the bright sun. "The caravan usually goes through Holy Wood on its way to Orlando."

"They could've all turned into ghouls," Virgil mused with a shrug.

Milton sighed. "You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?"

"What?" Virgil said with a shrug. "It wouldn't hurt for this party to have more ghouls. And anyway, I don't hear you complaining about the amount of humans in this caravan."

"It's not my fault most of your kind are mindless zombies," Milton replied.

"Can we go without arguing for five minutes?" James asked.

"Not really," Virgil answered, and Milton rolled his eyes.

Up ahead, Noelle could see a Tegan and the other guards with a Brahmin.

"Hey look, our caravan," Ariadne pointed out.

"How perceptive," Virgil said at the same time James said, "Good."

It took a few minutes for the rest of the caravan members to assemble and get back on the road. As they progressed, partially collapsed buildings and rusted cars transformed into rows of tall, thin trees. Noelle felt a wave of nostalgia as _Surfin' Safari_ drifted from Travis's Pip-Boy. Tears threatened to spill over as they walked along a familiar winding path. When Virgil pointed out the marks on the trees, she swallowed the newly formed lump in her throat.

Even though it had been years, there were still times Noelle saw her father's body whenever she closed her eyes. If it had been up to her, she never would've left New New Orleans. But, the crime bosses of the city had other plans, so she'd fled.

_One day I'll make you proud dad,_ she thought as they came to a fork in the road. _I promise._

Ever since that horrible night, the night her father had been murdered, she'd been on the run. Living off what little she'd brought with her and the kindness of strangers, she did what she could.

"Hey Noelle, you okay?" Saoirse asked, turning to look at her.

Noelle checked to make sure she wasn't crying before she nodded.

"Yeah, I'm good."

_I will become the most conniving mobster Miami has ever seen,_ she thought as she became filled with determination. _And, this job is just the beginning._


	7. Chapter Six: Destination: El Placid

_**Chapter Six: Destination: El Placid**_

Ariadne and the others had been traveling with the Sunshine Caravan for a few weeks now. The next stop, according to Tegan, was the trading post, El Placid. Unfortunately, they weren't even halfway to Orlando and Ariadne was already sick of Zeke, Virgil, and Milton. Zeke and Milton pulled their weight in a fight but also asked Travis every half-hour how much farther it was until their next stop. And Virgil didn't know when to shut up. Currently, she walked with Saoirse and Noelle just ahead of the rest of the caravan.

"Wait, where is New New Orleans?" Saoirse asked as she stepped into the shade of an enormous shade tree.

"It's a ways northwest of here," Noelle said. "Quite a ways northwest."

"Was that the town with water in its streets, or surrounding the city?" Ariadne asked.

Noelle chewed her lower lip in thought.

"I mean, there are _some_ streets filled with water, but not all of them," she replied.

"Oh, I was just wondering," Ariadne said. "I was trying to think if that was one of the cities I passed through on my way to Miami."

Noelle shrugged. "Probably. It's one of the few major cities between the Lone Star and Sunshine Wastes. A lot of caravans pass through that stretch of wasteland."

Ariadne nodded and allowed Saoirse and Noelle to take over the conversation. When she felt eyes on the back of her head, she briefly glanced at the trees over her shoulder.

_No sign of them,_ she thought.

Ever since James had mentioned hearing footsteps, Ariadne was extra cautious.

"Ari, you good?" Saoirse asked. Ariadne looked to her friend.

"Yeah, just thought I heard something," she replied.

_Just leave me alone,_ she thought as her boots squelched in the mud. _You can't protect me anymore._

* * *

_Looks like we're only half a mile or so from El Placid,_ Travis thought as he lowered his Pip-Boy. When he usually traveled, he liked to listen to music. A few miles back however, the others had complained about hearing Nancy Sinatra's _Sugar Town_ for the millionth time, in their words, so he'd turned it off.

"Hey vault dweller," Zeke called from the back of the caravan. "How much farther until El Placid?"

"Roughly half a mile," Travis shouted over his shoulder.

Zeke sighed. "Great. Another half-mile of listening to the ghoul."

Virgil's conversation with Milton momentarily paused.

"If you don't want to listen, then feel free to walk away," Virgil said.

"Guys, please don't kill each other before we reach Orlando," James said.

"What about after?" Virgil asked.

"After, I don't care," Travis answered. "But let's try to stay focused on the present moment," Travis suggested.

The ghoul sighed dramatically and moved closer to the front of the caravan.

"Crisis averted," Travis said.

"For now," James added.

Travis nodded and returned his gaze to the horizon. The sun had begun to set, and gold and peach mixed with light blue and violet above. In the distance was a sizable lake surrounded by Spanish moss trees. As they grew closer, he could just make out spiky logs floating in the water.

"Might want to keep your eyes peeled guys," he said. "Looks like there could be gators in the lake ahead."

"Good call," Tegan said. She turned to some of the other guards and began to shout in Spanish.

With that, the caravan Brahmin and some of the guards moved ahead. Travis withdrew his Ripper as he kept an eye on the lake. A little ways past the lake, he could just make out the 'El Placid' neon sign and the guards on the wall.

_Only one more stop until Orlando,_ he thought as he paused near the lake to keep an eye on the gators.

His palms began to sweat as the possible outcomes of meeting Milo filled his thoughts.

_I could just disappear,_ a voice inside him said. _No one would notice or care if I just left the group. No one would ever have to know about Milo and I._

His gaze moved to Saoirse, who was talking and laughing with Noelle and Ariadne. She kept a hand on her pistol holster, just as he had taught her.

_No_, a voice inside him said. _Because she would notice, and she would care. I have to confront Milo, if only for her._

He pushed those thoughts aside as the caught up with the caravan. Blocking the road to El Placid was a group of leather-clad men and women. All were armed, and his jaw set at seeing Saoirse, Ariadne, and Noelle held by three large muscular men. Tegan, the other guards, and the Brahmin were closest to the raiders.

The caravan members drew their weapons, followed shortly by the raiders. A man with a black Mohawk and laser pistol stepped forward.

"We're going to make this real simple. Hand over the goods," he said, gesturing to the three teens, "and everyone walks away."

"Or you could let the girls go and walk away before things get messy," Travis said as he switched from his Ripper to the Overseer's Guardian.

The man with the Mohawk turned to his comrades and laughed.

"That was a good joke," he said before his expression sobered. "But now it's time to choose. So, what's it going to be?"

_Neither,_ thought Travis as he aimed his combat rifle at the head of the raider holding Saoirse. He took a breath and fired.

* * *

"Time to hide," Virgil murmured, as the man holding Saoirse dropped his weapon and fell against her.

He followed Tegan, the unarmed caravan members, and Brahmin toward the gates of El Placid. He glanced briefly behind to see Zeke, Milton, Tegan, Travis, James, and some of the other guards had taken on the raiders. Virgil ducked his head just in time to avoid a bullet to the brain.

"Well, that was close," he muttered.

"Not so fast," said one of the women raiders with a smirk. With a spiked baseball bat in one hand, she grabbed him by the collar with the other. "You're missing all the fun."

"Oh, I don't think so," Virgil said and hit his head against hers.

She grunted and staggered backward. As she put a hand to her head, Virgil bent down to remove his switchblade from one of his loafers. The raider charged at him with her bat, and he stabbed her in the neck. She reached to swing at him, and he twisted the knife deeper. She screamed in pain and dropped her weapon as he removed the blade.

"Take that, bitch," he said, as she fell to the ground on her knees. Blood gushed beneath the hand that covered the wound.

As she reached for a Stimpak, gasping for breath, his switchblade pierced her forehead. Her body went still and her eyes glossed over.

"Gross," he said as he removed his switchblade and pushed her body to the ground. Bending down, he wiped the knife on her armor. "That's better."

He looked between the raider corpse and the walls of El Placid.

_Does she have anything valuable?_ Thought Virgil. He quickly ducked as a hail of gunfire rained above him. _Whatever she has, it's not worth it._

He picked himself up and ran toward El Placid. His heart raced in his chest when he heard footsteps following him. Just as he turned to confront his stalker, the raider and their bladed baseball bat fell to the ground. His gaze went to a woman in her late 40s wearing a gray tank top holding dual pistols.

"You're welcome, now keep going," the woman grunted as another raider charged at her.

With that, Virgil rushed to the gates as fast as his legs could carry him.

* * *

James stepped out of the way as the raider with a combat rifle fired at him. He aimed his pistol at her chest and fired. The bullet just missed the leather-clad woman as she closed the distance between herself and James. As she went to fire, her head was severed from her body. Standing behind the fallen corpse was a woman with a Shishkebab. James stood there his eyes widened in surprise.

"I'll explain later," she said, pointing ahead to the raiders fighting their companions. "But right now, your group needs help."

James hesitantly nodded and both charged toward Milton and Zeke, who were engaged with four raiders. Using their various rifles, the raiders pinned the pair at the edge of the swamp.

"Could I maybe get your name?" He asked.

Aiming for one of the raiders, he fired at the back of the man's head. The raider and his weapon fell to the ground as the woman came up behind a raider with a neon pink Mohawk.

"Natasha," she replied as she sliced the woman's head clean off. "But just Nat is fine."

Zeke peered out from behind one of the trees and fired his automatic laser pistol at one of the raiders. His first two shots missed, and he gritted his teeth as the raider fired and charged at him. Milton popped out from behind a nearby tree and shot the attacking raider.

Meanwhile, Natasha turned her attention to the second raider. He sidestepped her Shishkebab and fired a few shots. Nat gritted her teeth as she took cover behind a nearby tree. James aimed his pistol at the back of the man's head and fired. The raider fell to the ground beside his weapon.

"Thanks for the assistance," Milton said with a nod. He jabbed a thumb at Natasha. "Who's she?"

* * *

**Hello again, fellow readers! I hope you're all staying safe and healthy during these trying times. Now that I have more time to actually work on this, I will try to update semi-regularly. If you're new to this story, or you've been reading since the prologue, feel free to leave some reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Bethesda owns Fallout and Malachi288, billthekid, Symmetrymaster, Colstrent, and Ethereal City own their respective OCs.**


	8. Chapter Seven: A Mother's Love

_**Chapter Seven: A Mother's Love**_

Three of the men in Ariadne's group turned to Natasha. Beyond the branded man's shoulder, another man with a short ponytail walked toward them, along with three teenagers. Natasha's heart raced as soon as she spotted Ariadne.

"Natasha Ivanov," Natasha said to the bearded man as she sheathed her Shishkebab. "Just Nat is fine, though."

"Why did you help us?" One of the men asked, narrowing his hazel-green eyes at her.

"Because she's been following us," Ariadne replied as she folded her arms over her chest. Her brows furrowed as she maintained her distance.

Natasha's heart fell at seeing her daughter's resentment, but she couldn't exactly blame her.

_It's my fault, I know that now,_ she wanted to say. _Let me make things right._

Just as Nat opened her mouth to respond, a thudding sound could be heard from the swamp. Everyone turned to find a Mutated Crocodile emerging from the water.

"We can discuss this somewhere else, but right now, we need to move," the man with the ponytail said.

"Agreed," the branded man said.

With that, Natasha and the rest of the group ran to El Placid.

* * *

As the sky grew dark and stars twinkled above, Milton and the group approached El Placid. Fortunately, Virgil had arrived ahead of them and informed the guards about the attack.

"Okay Ari, tell us, who's the woman and how does she know you?" Noelle asked as she nodded to the woman beside Ariadne. "Since you seem to know her."

Milton turned to examine Ariadne and Natasha. Both women had a similar build and hair color. Ariadne sighed and folded her arms.

"Someone who abandoned me," she replied at the same time the woman said, "Her mother, Natasha."

_Who knew this group would be so filled with drama,_ Milton thought as everyone's expressions turned to surprise.

As Ariadne opened her mouth to continue, dark storm clouds gathered in the sky above. Milton placed his hand over his hat as the wind picked up.

"Why don't we continue this conversation somewhere else?" Travis suggested. "I know a good bar and hotel with cheap food and rooms."

_Jeez, how many places has this guy visited,_ thought Milton. But then again, he'd probably traveled the entirety of the Sunshine Wastes.

Virgil nodded. "I like that idea."

"Lead the way," Natasha said.

A few minutes later, Milton and the others were warm and dry inside a Tiki Bar called Jefferson's. Customers filled almost every table as waitresses flitted between patrons. Conversation hummed as the rain and wind beat against the tiny bar. Small, multi-colored lanterns hung from the ceiling, as Ella Fitzgerald crooned from the Jukebox. Milton and the rest of the group sat in a large booth in the back corner.

"So, Ari how did you and your mom get separated?" Saoirse asked.

Milton and the rest of the group looked to Ariadne and Natasha. She sighed as she leaned forward in her seat.

"Did she tell you where we're from?" Natasha asked.

"She said it was somewhere called the New California Republic," Noelle replied. "But she didn't really tell us what that was."

Natasha nodded. "The New California Republic, or the NCR, is a politically powerful nation to the southwest of here."

Natasha paused as everyone's drinks were served. Milton sipped his Nuka Cola as she resumed.

"Anyway, my parents had a farm within the NCR. There was this Brahmin Baron who wanted to purchase my parent's farm. We refused at first, but this Brahmin Baron eventually forced our hand and we had to sell."

"Rotten bastard," Ari said and spat on the ground.

"But it seems some of us had other plans," Natasha said, giving her daughter a hard look. Ari folded her arms over her chest as her mother continued. "The day our farm was to be sold, Ari set a trap for this Brahmin Baron which killed him. His guards started shooting at us, so we fired back. Once they were all dead, we had no choice but to run."

"I don't get it," Travis said. "If this NCR is as powerful as you say, why didn't you go to them for help against the Brahmin Baron? Why run away?"

"For the same reason none of the Big Three in Miami take over the city," Ariadne replied. "Political bullshit."

The Big Three were the three largest, most powerful crime families in Miami. They consisted of the Reyes, Doyle, and Santoni Families respectively. Each possessed one-third of the city physically and politically. If it wasn't for the Miami Pact, the Big Three would've eliminated each other long ago.

"Eventually, we stayed the night at The Alamo," Natasha continued. She swallowed as she looked down at her bottle of Nuka Cola. "I was out that night-"

Ariadne scoffed. "Is that what you call drinking yourself into a stupor? Because that happened every night after grandma died."

Natasha's face fell as she tightened her grip on her Nuka Cola. She sighed as she looked to her daughter.

"Ari, you have no idea how sorry I am about that night," she said.

Ariadne rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

_Damn kid,_ Milton thought as he took a swig of Nuka Cola. _I would give anything for my father to come back into my life and apologize for his screw-ups._

"Before the group descends into awkward silence, how about we get something to eat?" Virgil suggested. "I don't know about the rest of you, but killing raiders gives me the munchies."

As the others voiced their agreement, Milton noticed Natasha's look of regret before she left the table.

* * *

During dinner, Noelle listened as the others discussed the job with Natasha. One by one, the others finished their meals and went to bed. Noelle finished her Nuka Cola, before following Ariadne upstairs.

"I think Saoirse said we're in Room Five," Ari said.

Noelle nodded and followed Ari to the fifth door on the right. Ari knocked once on the door, and Saoirse opened it.

"Come on in," she said.

Both teens stepped into the small room. A bunk bed sat in one corner, with a couch and armchair in the other. Saoirse's knapsack lay beneath the walnut coffee table.

"I'm taking the couch," Saoirse said. When Noelle opened her mouth to object, her friend shook her head. "I don't mind, really."

"Thanks, Sersh," Ari said.

"Of course," Saoirse said. as she entered the attached bathroom.

Noelle and Ariadne removed their respective footwear and socks. Noelle briefly glanced to the closed bathroom door.

"You know, some of us would give anything to see our parent one more time," she said.

"Even if that parent royally screwed up?" Ari countered as leaned over the bunk bed railing.

Noelle shrugged. "All parents mess up sometimes."

"Yes, but do they screw up so badly that they can't even properly defend you?" Ari asked.

Noelle raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Ari sighed as she removed her weapons and their holsters. She looked to Noelle for a few seconds, before shaking her head.

"Nothing," Ari said.

With that, Ari pushed past her and climbed the bunk bed ladder.

"Ari, I'm sorry," Noelle said.

"Don't worry about it," Ariadne said.

Noelle too removed her weapons and holsters, placing them next to Ariadne's. She then slipped into the bottom bunk and closed her eyes. Sleep pulled at her, and she didn't resist.

* * *

The wind howled outside their window as Saoirse lay on the couch, unable to sleep. Lightning and thunder occasionally lit up the room. As her companions slept, she stared at the fading image of a smiling, tan woman beside a man with kind, umber eyes with an arm around her waist. One of her hands held his, while the other was over her extended belly. Saoirse smiled, as her thumb brushed over the image of her mother.

_That could've been Noelle's parents once,_ she thought as she turned over. _Or Ariadne's._

She'd overheard Noelle and Ariadne's earlier conversation, which instantly reminded her of her own family. From the time she could remember, her dad had always been there for her. Treating her injuries when she needed it, teaching her how to shoot, letting her accompany him on his assignments and everything in between.

_I promise dad,_ she thought as she folded the picture and put it into her knapsack. _I will always be here for you._

* * *

**Greetings, fellow readers! This chapter took a bit more fine-tuning, especially the latter half. I know Chapters Six and Seven were a bit Ariadne/Natasha heavy, but I promise things will level out for a chapter or so. Thank you to everyone who's read this far. If you're new here or you've been reading since the prologue, feel free to leave a review. I'll see you all next chapter!**


	9. Chapter Eight: Fever Dreams

_**Chapter Eight: Fever Dreams**_

As Travis lay in bed that evening, his thoughts shifted between Saoirse, Milo, and Aria.

xxxxx

_He was in his home back in Miami. It had been the home he'd initially purchased with Aria all those years ago._

_The white afghan lay on the back of the couch and his beat-up burgundy armchair sat beside it. The cherry coffee table was devoid of Nuka Cola bottles, which was unusual. His boots thumped against the hardwood floors, as he made his way to the dining room. His stomach growled as the familiar scent of Gator meat mixed with spices. He could hear the sizzling and stopped short at the figure standing in front of the stove._

_She was several inches shorter than Travis, with lightly tanned skin. Her dark, curly hair fell down her shoulders like a waterfall and her blue eyes sparkled. Her smile, as always, was bright._

"_Travis mi amor, are you going to just stand there gawking, or are you going to help me set the table?" She asked._

"_A-aria what are you doing here?" He said. "Where's Saoirse?"_

_She removed her spoon from the pot she was stirring in and gestured toward the stairs._

"_She's upstairs, taking a nap," Aria replied. She fully turned to Travis now, as she put her hands on her hips. "But you didn't answer my question. Are you going to help me or not?"_

_She closed the distance between them, before planting a soft, tender kiss on his mouth. Travis slid his arms around her waist and held her close._

"_It's been so long," he whispered, as she smiled up at him. "I've missed you. So much."_

_Her expression sobered._

"_And I've missed you too, cariño," she replied._

_He sighed as they pulled apart._

"_Things haven't been easy since you left," he said, as he remained in the dining room._

_Aria smiled sadly, as she went to the cherry cupboards._

"_I know," she said, partially turning to him. "And I'm sorry for not being there. You know I would if I could."_

"_What happened isn't your fault," he said, shaking his head. "I just wish," he sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "I just would've hoped we could've raised her together."_

_She sighed, came to him, and brushed her thumb against his cheek._

"_I am always with you," she murmured. "Every decision you've ever made, every cut and scrape you've ever mended, and every journey you've ever had, I have been with you. Both of you."_

_Travis nodded, as tears threatened to appear. He swallowed the lump in his throat and placed his hand over hers._

"_And I will always be with you," she said and pecked him on the cheek. "But time is running out. Do you still have my letter?"_

_Toward the end of her pregnancy, Aria had written Saoirse a letter. She'd insisted he only give it to her should something happen to Aria, and only when Saoirse was ready. She'd also asked him never to read it, which he'd reluctantly complied with._

_He nodded, "Of course. What about it?"_

"_You're headed to Orlando," she said. "You know what will happen if she meets Milo."_

"_If he's still alive," he said. But even when the words left his mouth, he knew he was only kidding himself._

_Her brows knitted together. "You and I both know he is. Milo is a stubborn, bull-headed man. He always has been."_

"_What do I tell her?" He asked. "How do I tell her?"_

"_That is for you to decide," Aria replied. "Whatever you do, it must be soon."_

"_But why now? What's in the letter?" He asked._

"_Please, promise me you will give it to her before it's too late."_

_Travis sighed and tentatively nodded._

"_I promise," he said and kissed her forehead._

"_Good," she said and backed away. "Thank you."_

xxxxx

Travis bolted upright and looked at the time on his Pip-Boy. 5:45 am. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before he pushed the covers off his lap.

_I promise Aria, I'll give her the letter,_ he thought as he dressed. _But what if she hates me because of it?_

* * *

Zeke awoke with the sun. When he entered the restaurant, the three teenagers, Natasha, and Travis were all sitting in their booth from the previous evening. A few waitresses moved between the few customers present.

"So, it looks like almost everyone is here," Travis said. "Who wants breakfast? My treat."

All three girls raised their hands, eagerly talking over one another. Natasha offered to pay, but Travis insisted.

_Pfftt, let him pay,_ thought Zeke as Travis began taking orders. _It's his caps he's wasting._

"Zeke, what do you want?" Travis asked.

"Their breakfast menu the same as their dinner menu?" He asked, and Travis nodded. "I'll have the scrambled Gator Eggs with a Nuka Cola."

With that, Travis and the girls left to order their meals. Zeke grunted as he thought back to his breakfasts at the Compound. With a fully stocked and intact kitchen, the meals were always warm and fully cooked.

The Compound. The place where he'd killed his first raider, skinned his first Mutated Gator and married his wife Eleanor. He could still remember the day he'd met her as if it were yesterday.

xxxxx

_He'd been out on a hunt with the rest of his squad when he'd heard someone curse. He briefly glanced behind him to see a woman firing at Mirelurks with a combat shotgun. Three of them were clicking toward her._

"_Hey Santiago, you coming or what?" asked Lee._

_Zeke turned back toward his squad. Two of the members carried a Radstag between them._

"_You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up," he said._

_Lee turned to the others and shrugged, before they left. Zeke turned back toward the woman. Taking his automatic laser pistol, he fired at one of the Mirelurks. The creature stopped moving and the woman's blue eyes briefly met his._

"_Let's finish off these Mirelurks, and then we'll talk," he said._

_She nodded, and the pair finished them off. Once they were done, she eyed him warily._

"_Who are you?" She asked._

"_I'm Zeke," he said as he held out a hand. "Zeke Santiago."_

"_Eleanor Henderson," she replied as they shook hands. "Appreciate the help. Which begs the question, why did you help me?"_

_He shrugged. "The way I see it, not a lot of people actually try to survive on their own. They look for safety and security in numbers."_

"_Well, there is some truth to that," said Eleanor. "Living behind walls is usually safer."_

"_It can be," he said. "But living behind walls can also make people too comfortable. They get lazy, and then when a Mutated Gator attacks, they get eaten."_

_She nodded. "That's true enough, I suppose."_

"_Well, I should get going, but I'm glad we were able to take care of the Mirelurks," he said._

"_Safe travels," she said as he turned to leave._

xxxxx

That had been four years ago. Four years of courtship and marriage, all annulled by a bunch of backward, ancient men. To this day, he still didn't know what had happened to her after she'd left the Compound.

Zeke pushed those thoughts aside as the scent of scrambled eggs reached his nose.

* * *

After breakfast, Ariadne and the others went to Tegan for their payment. She gave them each seventy-five caps before going on their way. As they traversed through the woods, Noelle's words from the previous evening echoed in her head.

_I'd give anything just to tell him I love him one more time,_ she'd said. And damn it if Ari had felt sorry for her friend.

She stole a glance at her mother, who was walking beside Travis. Her mother's green eyes, her eyes, silently pleaded with her.

_You had your chance,_ she thought before turning her gaze away. _And you blew it._

Just as Ariadne opened her mouth to address her mother, the ground around them rumbled. Everyone looked around wide-eyed.

"Milton, did you have any Mexican for breakfast?" Virgil asked, partially turning to Milton.

"Pretty sure that wasn't a fart," James said.

"It wasn't," Travis replied, as he withdrew Overseer's Guardian. "Everyone, get ready for a fight."

Ariadne and the others did as he instructed, pulling out their own weapons. In the corner of her eye, she saw Virgil climb up a nearby tree.

_Coward,_ she thought as she loaded up her BB gun.

Just as she was about to ask what the shaking had been, a mud brown, elongated head emerged from the water. As its body rose up, Ariadne could feel her knees shake.

"A Gatorclaw," Saoirse breathed with her eyes wide. She aimed her laser pistol at its stomach and fired.

A barrage of fusions cells and lead rained down on the creature. The Gatorclaw snarled its discontent as it moved to avoid the hail of gunfire. Ariadne and the others scrambled to put some distance between themselves and the mutated alligator.

"Is there any chance we can run from this thing?" Virgil yelled from his tree branch.

"Not unless you want to be its next meal," Travis called as he tossed a frag grenade near its foot.

Despite its numerous injuries, the Gatorclaw continued to inch toward Ariadne and the group. When its foot stepped on the grenade, its leg exploded into millions of pieces. The creature roared in pain as blood gushed from its wound.

"Anyone have any more explosives?" Travis asked.

"I do," Natasha replied.

_I know what you're doing,_ Ariadne thought as she reloaded her rifle. _And it's not going to work._

The Gatorclaw half-limped toward the group but ended up falling onto the ground. As Ariadne and the others fired at it, Natasha tossed a frag grenade near its snout. The animal roared before creeping forward. Once the underside of its snout landed on the grenade, Ariadne and the rest of the group shielded their eyes as its head exploded into a scaly, pasty mess.

"Nice job, everyone," Travis sighed as he wiped the gore off his gun. He turned to the tree Virgil clung to. "It's safe to come down now."

As Virgil slowly climbed down, Natasha rushed to Ari and her friends.

"Hey Ree, are you okay?" Her mother asked. Ariadne could feel her friends' gazes turn to her as she finished cleaning her weapon. She sighed as she holstered her BB gun.

"I'm fine, mom," she replied. "I don't need your protection anymore, okay?"

Ariadne kept a stoic expression as her mother's face fell. She watched her mother slink back to Travis's side as the group resumed their journey.

_That's right, run back to safety,_ she thought. _That's what you're good at._

* * *

Virgil remained in the middle of the group as they walked. For once, he was content to listen as the group approached a broken road with numerous rusted vehicles ahead.

"So, Travis, what was that caravan you mentioned at breakfast again?" Natasha asked. She glanced ahead to Ariadne, who was busy ignoring her.

"It's called the Sunshine Panther Caravan," Travis replied. "They're another caravan Saoirse and I frequently travel with. They make trips between Miami and Orlando all the time. I figured, if everyone wanted, we could travel with another caravan. It'd be good pay before we get to Orlando."

_Sounds like some more pay is coming our way,_ Virgil thought. He patted his pocket, enjoying the way caps jingled. _Me likey._ He shifted his gaze back to the teens ahead of him.

"Which do you guys think would win in a fight, a Gatorclaw or a Mutated Crocodile?" Noelle asked.

Ariadne shrugged. "They both live in water and walk on two legs."

"What about a Deathclaw and a Gatorclaw?" Saoirse inquired.

_Ah, youth,_ he thought as Ariadne began discussing the size difference between the two creatures.

Seeing the three of them together always reminded him of the days he'd spent walking home from school with his friends, Gary and Danny. Their favorite topic of conversation had always been who would win in a fight, the United States or the Chinese. Growing up in Pre-War DC, politics were just as much a part of life as advertisements were for Vault-Tec.

"Hey Virgil," said Milton, and the ghoul shifted his attention to the man beside him. "No smart-ass comment?"

"To what?" Virgil asked. "I was drowning out your—"

Just as they'd reached the first vehicle, a sleeping feral ghoul opened its eyes. A second emerged from its hiding spot from a nearby house. Soon another, and another, and another. Virgil jumped back, as Saoirse and the others whipped out their weapons.

"Nice going, dumbass," Zeke said, as he aimed his weapon at the ghoul's head.

_And how exactly is this my fault?_ he thought. _Not all ghouls are the same, jackass._

Virgil took a few steps back, as Saoirse downed the first ghoul with only a few shots.

"Could've happened to anyone," Nat replied, as she focused on the ghoul near the house.

"Let's focus on ghouls," James said, and winced before turning to Virgil. "Ah, no offense."

"None taken," he said, and gave the others a thumbs up. "Good luck."

He backed away from the fight, standing just in front of the tree line. He watched as Saoirse led the other teens against two feral ghouls, each firing a shot from their pistols. In another corner, Natasha, James, and Travis worked together against a small group. Zeke and Milton both took some Psycho before killing another band of ferals.

Ferals. It was a word that, even 200 years later, still left a bad taste in Virgil's mouth. Right up there with rotface, ghoul, and zombie, among others.

Connections matter after the war as much as they had before. They were especially important if you wanted to get into one of Vault-Tec's vaults. Back then, people didn't know the sinister experiments Vault-Tec had planned. So, when Gary and his family had been offered a spot in one of them, Virgil and Danny tried to at least pretend to be happy for their friend. While Gary had been able to ride out the apocalypse in safety, Virgil and Danny had turned into living zombies.

For a time, they'd lived in DC together. They were the only things from their past they had left, the only things they cared about. It had been quaint living in a run-down apartment in downtown DC, for a time. But once Danny turned feral, Virgil knew he had to put the poor man out of his misery. By that point, he could've gone to live in Underworld, but it wouldn't have been the same without Danny. After that day, he'd taken whatever he thought would help him survive and left DC.

He'd always wondered if Gary were still there, or any of his descendants. He'd heard Gary's vault had been opened by some lone wanderer, but he'd never been able to bring himself to head back there.

"Hey Virgil," Milton called, and Virgil looked up at his companion. "We've taken care of the ferals, it's safe to come out."

"Oh, thank you," he said with a nod. He could see the others moving the feral ghouls off the road, "I'll be right there."

_I'm sorry, Danny,_ he thought as Saoirse kicked one of the feral ghouls. When it didn't move, she bent down to look through its pockets. _I'm sorry we didn't have more time. That we didn't get to leave DC like we always talked about. I know I was always shitty at making promises, but I promise you this, I won't forget you._

With that, he shoved his hands in his pockets and went to join the others.

* * *

**Ariadne: *sighs and crosses arms* Why do we have to be here again?**

**Me: Because you're helping me.**

**Saoirse: Ari, the faster we do it, the faster we can leave.**

**Noelle: Bethesda, whoever they are, own Fallout and all Fallout properties. Ariadne Ivanov, Virgil Garbo, Natasha Ivanov, James Hendricks, Zeke Santiago, and Milton McCoy all belong to Colstrent, billthekid, Symmetrymaster, Malachi288, and Ethereal City. *looks to me* What does that mean?**

**Me: Don't worry about it.**

**Saoirse: She does, however, own Travis and Saoirse Mason. *glances down at cue card* Seriously though, what **_**does **_**that mean?**

**Me: Don't sweat it, you all did your parts. *avoids looking at the three teenagers* And last but not least, I would like to thank The Solar Surfer for editing this chapter.**


	10. Chapter Nine: Unbearable Junction

_**Chapter Nine: Unbearable Junction**_

It had been one week since James and the group had left El Placid. Ariadne and Natasha only spoke through one-word sentences, Virgil had his non-stop storytelling, while Zeke asked Travis every other mile how much farther until the next stop. Even James' nerves were beginning to fray, but he continually reminded himself of the chest at the end of the proverbial rainbow.

"Hey, Vault Dweller, how much further 'til Yeehaw Junction?" Zeke asked. He jabbed a thumb at Virgil. "Don't know how much longer I can stand this one's yammering."

James and Natasha rolled their eyes, as Travis checked the map on his Pip-Boy yet again. Virgil momentarily paused his storytelling and turned to look at Zeke.

"What's it to you?" Virgil asked, partially turning to Zeke. "I wasn't talking to you."

James sighed and shook his head. "Come on, guys, keep it together."

_Just keep your eyes on the prize,_ he thought.

Through the trees, James could see the Aqua Motel with a fading red gate around the front. Rusted motorcycles and cars remained parked as they had for the last 200 years. The closer they got, the more he could see and hear the hustle and bustle of people and Brahmin on the streets. A square, lopsided sign 'Yeehaw Junction' flashed at them.

"Does that answer your question?" Travis asked.

Zeke merely grunted. When Travis stopped just short of the Aqua Motel, so did James and the rest of the group.

"All right, guys, why don't we take a break?" Travis suggested. "If you need to resupply or get something to eat, now's the time. I'm going to talk to Quinn, the owner of the Sunshine Panther Caravan."

"When and where should we meet when we're done?" Natasha asked.

Travis consulted his Pip-Boy before he responded."How does an hour outside the Aqua Motel sound?"

James and the others nodded or voiced their agreement.

"Okay, I'll see you all in an hour," Travis said. As the group began to disperse, he turned to Saoirse. "Will you be okay by yourself?"

She nodded. "I was just going to show Noelle and Ari the best places to get ammo."

"I'll go with them," Nat quickly added, to which Ariadne rolled her eyes.

Travis nodded at Nat. "Thank you."

With that, James was left alone. He cherished the wind blowing leaves across the road. Closing his eyes, he took a breath in and sighed.

_Blessed silence,_ he thought. _May as well enjoy it while it lasts._

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he wandered past the Aqua Motel and down the street.

* * *

During his break, Zeke purchased some more ammunition and Stimpaks. When he was done, he went to lunch, where he learned the group wouldn't be traveling with the Sunshine Panther Caravan because they didn't leave for Orlando for another month. By 12:05 PM, they were back on the road.

Zeke decided to scout ahead, mostly so he didn't have to listen to Virgil. With his automatic laser pistol at the ready, he scanned his surroundings. Rusted vehicles lay abandoned on the broken asphalt, with palm trees swaying in the breeze. His gaze moved to the feral ghouls waking up from their nap.

"Feral ghouls, twelve o'clock," he said.

The others withdrew their weapons behind him as he fired at the ghoul's chest. The creature fell to the ground as other ghouls within the area slithered out of their hiding places. As another zombie rushed toward him, Saoirse fired at it. The creature fell, and Zeke nodded at her.

Zeke and the rest of the group spread out as they fired at the feral ghouls. Zeke aimed for one ghoul's leg and fired. The creature fell onto its stomach and he fired two shots at its head. As he reloaded his automatic laser pistol, he could see the other ghouls fall to the ground.

_Wonder if these guys have any Psycho on them?_ Zeke thought. He went up to one of the ghouls, kicked it, and bent down to loot its corpse.

* * *

A few hours later, the sun began to sink lower in the sky. The distant hooting of owls, gurgling of ghouls, and feline growls filled the dusk. Nat slid a hand to her Shishkebab as her gaze darted from side to side.

"It's getting a bit late," Travis said. "Does anyone want to stop for the night?"

"I, for one, wouldn't mind pushing on ahead," James said, before turning to Travis. "How much farther is Orlando, anyway?"

Travis brought up his Pip-Boy, and Saoirse came to stand beside him.

"It's just up ahead," Saoirse said before she went to stand with Noelle and Ariadne.

"Anyone else?" Travis asked.

Nat looked at the others. When none seemed to differ, she added her opinion."I think we're all in agreement."

"Alright then," Travis said with a nod. "Let's keep going."

With that, the group resumed their walk. Through the trees, Nat could see some abandoned, rusted out cars and trucks ahead. But it was what lay beyond that, that impressed her. As they emerged from the forest, a huge cluster of flashing neon lights shone on the horizon. Surrounding said lights was a giant wooden wall with guards scattered across the top.

_That's Orlando, huh?_ Natasha thought as she relaxed her grip on the handle of her Shishkebab.

"Reminds me of New Vegas," she murmured.

Saoirse and Noelle looked to her, while Ariadne pretended to be more interested in her boots and mismatched socks.

"Where's that?" Noelle asked.

Nat gave a sad smile, "It's a huge city in a place called the Mojave. It's also where I met Ariadne's father." Her heart warmed at seeing Ariadne's gaze shift in her direction. "Quite a long time ago."

"Really?" Ariadne asked with a raised brow. "And what was this New Vegas like?"

Nat snorted. "Full of whores, junkies, and suckers willing to spend their caps to get rich quick."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Ariadne said.

"Because, when you were younger, thinking about your father was too painful," Nat replied with a sigh. "He died before I knew I was pregnant with you." She gave her daughter a sad smile. "But I know he'd be proud of the young woman you are today."

Ariadne nodded solemnly and shifted her gaze away from Nat.

* * *

_Well, it's been a hell of a journey but we're almost to Orlando,_ thought was looking forward to sleeping in a bed, instead of on the ground. Plus, he could probably get a decent stash of Psycho and Buffout there. He was almost out, and he wanted some for the venture home. Currently, Milton and the three teenagers were ahead of the rest of the group.

"Oh look, it's so cute," Noelle said as she stopped to stare.

Milton momentarily stopped walking as his eyes widened. Sitting and lying beside one another was a set of three, small Yao Guai. They were furry and he had to admit, quite adorable.

"Uh, Noelle, those are Yao Guai babies," Ariadne said as her eyes darted around the clearing. "We should probably go. Like, right now."

"But they're so cute," Noelle said.

Just then, a loud roar could be heard nearby. The cubs all opened their eyes and scrambled into the nearby forest. Milton swallowed the newly formed lump in his throat as all backed away from the cubs. He withdrew his .44 Magnums as Saoirse pulled out her Hunting Rifle.

"Ari, take Noelle back to the others," Saoirse instructed. "Milton and I will deal with Mama Bear."

"What? Are you frickin' crazy?" Noelle shrieked as the growl of the Yao Guai grew closer.

"We can handle it until the others come," Saoirse shouted as she aimed her rifle at the trees. She partly turned to Milton with a determined expression on her face. "You ready?"

_As ready as one can be,_ he thought but didn't say. Instead, he nodded as he shifted toward the forest, aiming his guns at the trees.

In his peripheral vision, a wide-eyed Ariadne practically dragged Noelle back to where they'd emerged. With his heart racing in his chest, he waited until the Yao Guai appeared before firing at the beast.

* * *

**Salutations, intrepid readers! I hope you all are enjoying the journey as much as I have. Believe it or not, we're roughly half done. But don't worry, there are still more twists and turns to come. Stay tuned for Chapter Ten!**

** If you're a new reader to this story or you've been here since the prologue, please don't forget to leave a review. Any and all constructive criticism is welcome.**


	11. Chapter Ten: It Takes a Village

_**Chapter Ten: It takes a village**_

As Nat and the rest of the group approached a clearing, Ariadne and Noelle raced toward them. They stopped abruptly, each with wide eyes.

"Guys, we need help," Noelle said in between gasps for breath. "Saoirse and Milton are fighting a Yao Guai up ahead."

The group collectively swore as Nat and the others, save for Virgil, pulled out their weapons. While Virgil climbed a nearby tree, everyone rushed through the clearing.

Nat winced when she heard a loud thud nearby.

_That doesn't sound good,_ she thought.

Upon arriving, Nat could see Milton lying on the ground. The Yao Guai had its back to their teammate as it swiped its paw at Saoirse. It roared as she fired at its abdomen.

"Someone should check to make sure Milton's still breathing," Travis shouted. "The rest of you, surround the Yao Guai."

Nat ran to Milton as the others went to engage the mutated bear. She could see each group member take turns shooting at the Yao Guai. Putting two fingers to his neck, she waited. Upon feeling a light thumping, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Still kicking," she called as Travis fired at the beast.

Pulling out her dual pistols, Nat joined the others in firing at it. The creature roared and bounded toward Ariadne, who was reloading her BB gun.

_Oh, no you don't,_ thought Nat as she ran to the Yao Guai. With her heart pounding in her chest, she emptied her rounds into it. The beast shifted in Nat's direction. Holstering her pistols, she withdrew her Shishkebab. She could see the others continually fire at the Yao Guai as it approached her. As it reached a giant paw to swipe at her, she leaned forward and ran the blade through the beast's chest.

The Yao Guai's eyes glazed over and it went still. With one foot on the Yao Guai's body, she pushed the corpse off her sword.

"Is everything okay?" Travis asked as he reholstered his rifle.

Nat and the rest of the group responded. In the corner of her eye, Nat noticed Ari's brief glimpse in her direction.

"Someone should tell Virgil it's safe to come down," James said.

"I'll do it," Saoirse replied. "Are we eating at the Hansom Shoe Repair?"

Travis nodded. "After we get Milton to the Greenlawn Clinic, that was the plan."

"We'll stay behind with Saoirse," Ari said as she gestured to Noelle.

"I'll go with them," Nat volunteered.

Ari flashed her mother an annoyed expression as Travis made his way to Milton. He bent down and collected Milton's Magnums.

"That's fine," he grunted as he picked the other man off the ground. "We'll meet you there."

With that, Travis led Zeke and James to the flashing neon signs ahead. Ariadne turned to her mother, her brows furrowed.

"Let's go," Nat said as she cleaned her sword, sheathed it, and followed the teenagers.

* * *

Once they'd dropped Milton off at the Greenlawn Clinic, James, Zeke, and Travis all went to Hansom Shoe Repair. James' stomach growled as the scent of gator reached his nose. His sandals flip-flopped against the hardwood floors.

Customers conversed at full tables and booths as waiters and waitresses moved from person to person. Beneath the discussions, Nancy Sinatra crooned from the Jukebox on the right side of the room. A single, short gentleman manned the bar against the far wall.

"Let's find a table," Travis suggested. "Then see if we can flag down a waitress."

Zeke nodded.

"Sounds good," James said.

With that, the trio searched the room for a booth large enough for everyone. Luckily, there was a recently empty booth beside the bar. The three men slid into the booth and Travis listed a few items off the menu. Shortly after, a waitress with a blue and white dress approached their table.

"And what can I get you gentlemen this evening?" She asked, looking between the three of them.

"Do you serve alcohol?" Zeke asked.

The woman nodded. "Yes. We have beer, bourbon, most Gwinnett products, whiskey, and vodka."

"In that case, I'll take a Gwinnett ale," Zeke replied.

"Very good sir," said the waitress before she turned to James and Travis. "And you two, gentlemen?"

"I'll have a beer," Travis said at the same time James said, "I'd also like a beer."

"I'll have those in a moment," said the waitress before she disappeared.

Just then, the rest of their companions arrived and joined them at their booth.

"So, what'd we miss?" Virgil asked.

"Not much, we just ordered drinks," Travis replied. James watched Travis give Saoirse a look, and in response she nodded.

James listened as the group asked Travis questions about Orlando and the surrounding area. A few minutes later, the waitress came back to deliver drinks and take everyone's orders. After she left again, Travis and Saoirse left the table.

_What secrets are you hiding,_ James thought as he watched them walk through the front door.

* * *

Ariadne and the others tucked into their food. Throughout dinner, she stole glances at her mother.

_Just because you helped against the Yao Guai doesn't mean I forgive you,_ she thought.

_But she didn't have to,_ a tiny voice inside her added. _Just like she didn't have to chase you all the way from the Alamo._ She pushed the thought aside as she finished her Nuka Cola.

Both Travis and James volunteered to check on Milton the next morning. One by one, the other patrons in the speakeasy left. Travis advised them there was a hotel across the street with rooms still open. As they walked toward the Gator Inn, Ari quickly brushed past her mother.

Thanks for the save," she muttered before going to catch up with Saoirse and Noelle.

She didn't look to see her mother's reaction as they entered the Pre-War speakeasy. An employee swept the hardwood floor as the group made their way to the front desk. A few minutes later, Ariadne and the others settled into their rooms.

So, Saoirse, what did your dad tell you?" Noelle asked as they all took their footwear and socks off.

"What do you mean?" Saoirse replied with a raised brow.

"Noelle," Ari said, giving her friend a warning glance.

_Just leave well enough alone,_ thought Ari. _She'll share if she wants._

"It's fine, Ari," Saoirse said. She then turned to Noelle. "He just gave me some instructions for when we go to the Red Gator Tribe."

With that, Saoirse placed her weapons on the coffee table beside her knapsack and lay on the couch. Soon after, she began to snore.

* * *

Noelle woke up the next morning to find her friends had already gone downstairs, as usual. She quickly put her sandals back on, grabbed her weapons, and went to join the others. By the time she reached their booth, everyone but Virgil was already there.

"I checked on Milton this morning," Travis said as Noelle slipped into the booth beside Ariadne. "He was awake, and his scars were healing, but Doctor Cortez was concerned about his wounds. The scars on his head are deep and he does have a concussion."

"Did the doctor say when he would be able to travel again?" Natasha asked.

"Doctor Cortez said she wanted to administer another Stimpak or two for his cuts and make sure his concussion isn't too severe," Travis replied.

_Well, it looks like we're going to be here a while,_ Noelle thought as a waitress came and distributed their drinks. When the waitress handed her an ice-cold Nuka Cola Cherry, her brows raised in surprise.

"I ordered for you," Saoirse said, as she looked to Noelle. "That is what you wanted, isn't it?"

Noelle popped the cap off, pocketed it, and took a swig. The cool beverage parched her dry throat and she sighed as she removed the bottle from her lips.

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "Thanks."

* * *

** Hello, readers one and all! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter because things are going to take a serious turn in the next few chapters. I won't spoil anything, but you might want to grab the popcorn.**

** On a related note, we're at 940 views! That's incredible and I'm extremely grateful to everyone who's read and reviewed this story. You all make this worth it. Additionally, I would like to profoundly thank my beta, The Solar Surfer.**

** Disclaimer: Fallout owns Bethesda while Colstrent, bill, Malachi288, Symmetrymastaer, and Ethereal City own their respective OCs.**

** As always feedback is appreciated, and I'll see you next chapter!**


	12. Chapter Eleven: Sins of the Past

_**Chapter Eleven: Sins of the Past**_

Fortunately, Milton recovered quickly and soon Saoirse and her companions made the trek to the Red Gator Tribe. The further north they went, the more Travis messed with his Pip-Boy.

"Are you sure we're even going the right way?" Zeke asked, after only an hour.

_Why does he keep asking that? Dad knows where he's going,_ thought Saoirse.

Travis sighed and stopped, and the others did the same. He brought up the map on his Pip-Boy.

_I'm surprised he hasn't snapped at him yet,_ Saoirse thought she took out her baseball bat and pretended to inspect it.

She could remember many a time when she was younger when she'd asked the same question as Zeke. His response had usually been to try and distract her, whether it was through playing 'I Spy' or turning on his radio. When he felt he'd heard that question one too many times, he would show her where they were on the Pip-Boy versus where they had to go. Most of the time, it worked.

"Everyone, gather around," Travis instructed. Saoirse and the others did as he directed. He pointed to one spot on the map. "Currently, we're right here," he then moved to another spot close by. "And our destination is here."

"Yes, but how much farther are those two spaces from one another?" Virgil asked. "My feet are killing me."

"Welcome to the Sunshine Wastes," Travis replied with a sigh. When the ghoul gave him a look, he rolled his eyes. "Roughly a mile."

With that, Saoirse and the others resumed their journey. She scanned the surrounding trees and shrubbery on either side of the path. While she'd been all the way to Tallassee, she wasn't familiar with this stretch of road.

As they entered a large clearing, the scent of nearby cooking fires made her stomach grumble. Up ahead, steam rose from a collection of wooden huts. Children's laughter mixed with merchants hawking their wares and warriors training with one another. As Saoirse and her companions entered the village, people stopped and turned to stare at Travis.

_Why are they looking at him like that?_ Thought Saoirse, as she kept a stoic expression.

Just then, the group paused as a contingent of armored and armed men blocked the road. A bald man stepped forward; his brows furrowed.

"Stop right there and state your purpose, outsiders," he said.

"My name is Travis Mason," he said, and the guard's eyes widened. "My companions and I were hired by Luciano Reyes to retrieve a weapon."

The bald man turned to the other men behind him.

"One of you, go to Ricardo and ask if he's expecting visitors," he said. As he turned to the others, a malevolent smirk appeared on his face. "If not, then we'll dispose of them."

_Geez, these guys are territorial,_ thought Saoirse as one of the guards left. _And violent._

She and the others waited until the guard returned.

"Well?" The bald man asked.

"Ricardo said the visitors are to come see him," replied the second.

The bald man nodded and shifted his gaze to the group.

"If you follow us, we will take you to Ricardo," he said.

"Very well, lead the way," Travis said.

As Saoirse and her comrades followed the guards, some of the tribe members momentarily paused what they were doing to stare. She felt their eyes focus on Travis especially.

_What aren't you telling me,_ she thought. _Have you been here before or something?_

Eventually, they reached a wooden longhouse. Groups of people filed out of the building as they approached. One of the people who left was a woman with four children, two not much younger than Saoirse herself. The woman glared at her, and she looked away.

_Hey, whatever you're pissed about, it's not my fault, lady,_ she thought as the guards surrounded the longhouse and they entered the building. _I just got here._

More armed and armored guards lined the long hallway. Torches hung on the walls, providing soft orange light. At the end of the hall, they turned right to see a dark-skinned man sitting on a wooden, cushioned throne.

"Saoirse, why does that guy look like you?" Noelle whispered.

Ari gave her a pointed look and nudged her arm. As they grew closer, however, Saoirse could see the similarities between herself and the man. Not just in skin tone and hair color, but also in his pointed nose and face. The bald man approached the throne and bent down on one knee.

"Your guests, my liege," he said as he placed his fist against his chest.

"Thank you, Diego," said the man on the throne. "You may rise."

Diego stood up, turned to the rest of the guards, and nodded. One by one, they peeled away from Saoirse and the group and lined the halls. When the man on the throne saw Travis, his green eyes became predatory.

"So, the deceitful thief slinks back to my neck of the woods," the man said as he stood up.

_Deceitful thief?_ Thought Saoirse, as she looked between the man and Travis. _Dad, what did you do?_

"I didn't come here to talk about the past, Ricardo," Travis said. "We're here for Mister Luciano Reyes' weapon, and then we'll be on our way."

"Really? Then why is a remnant of our history together standing in this very room?" Ricardo asked as his gaze settled on Saoirse.

Saoirse felt her heart pound faster in her chest as everyone looked to her. She saw Travis mouth the words 'run', but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

xxxxx

_Once the group had reached the Hansom Shoe Repair, Travis had asked to talk to Saoirse in private. She'd agreed, although somewhat reluctantly. Once she and Travis were outside, he led her down the street._

"_You wanted to talk to me?" She asked._

_He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "This last stop on our journey is going to be the most dangerous, for me."_

_She looked at him with a raised brow. "How so?"_

_He sighed. "Remember what I told you about the man your mother was with before me?" He asked and she nodded. "Well, your mother was part of a tribe of former vault dwellers. That man oversaw that tribe and if he's still in power, he will do everything he can to make sure you and I never see one another again. That's why I need you to promise me something."_

_His gaze was somber as he stopped and looked to her. He put his hand on her shoulders as the wind whipped through her pigtails._

"_If this man is still in power, I want you to run," he said. "I need you to promise me, please."_

_Saoirse sighed as she held his gaze. The strength of his 'please' that caught her off guard, but she nodded._

"_I promise," she said._

_His expression lightened, but only slightly._

"_Thank you," he said, dropping his hands. "Now, let's get back inside. It looks like there's a storm coming."_

xxxxx

Saoirse pushed the memory aside as Ricardo made his way toward her. The others parted for him as he stood in front of her.

"Do you know who I am, child?" He asked.

She folded her arms over her chest. "I know my mother left you because of your restrictive laws."

"I see he has fed you lies," Ricardo said, as he whipped his attention back to Travis.

Travis, with a rage in his eyes Saoirse had never seen, faced Ricardo.

"Look, I hate to spoil whatever the hell this is," said James. "But as Travis said, we're here for the weapon. So why don't you just hand it over, and we can be on our way?"

Ricardo ignored Travis as he addressed the rest of the group.

"Has your employer even told you what this weapon is? Let alone how powerful it is?" Ricardo asked, his gaze sweeping over the group. "If you leave your employer and join me, I would double your pay."

"Now I like the sound of that," Milton said.

Saoirse scoffed and rolled her eyes.

_Of course you do, junkie,_ she thought. _But not all of us can be so easily bought._

A smile appeared on Ricardo's face.

"Excellent. Who else among you will join me?" He asked, looking around the room.

"Count me out," James said at the same time Natasha crossed her arms and replied, "Hard pass."

Ricardo surveyed the group as they gave their responses. Virgil and Zeke voiced their agreement, while Saoirse, Travis, Ariadne, and Noelle disagreed. When everyone had spoken, Ricardo sighed and folded his arms.

"Very well, you have all made your choice," he said. "Guards, take the trespassers to our holding cells and my daughter to her room."

Saoirse's eyes widened as the guards surrounded them.

"What?" She said, as two guards stood on either side of her. One grabbed her arm, and she pulled it away from him. "I didn't agree to this."

"Your conformity is irrelevant," said Ricardo as the guards led Saoirse's companions out one by one. "You are my daughter and a member of the Red Gator Tribe. You belong here, with your people."

Saoirse felt tears threaten to emerge, but she blinked them back. As the guards escorted Travis out of the longhouse he mouthed 'I'm sorry'.

_Why are you sorry,_ she thought as she reluctantly followed her set of guards. _Why is this happening?_

* * *

Virgil watched as the others were led out of the longhouse.

_Sorry guys,_ he thought feeling a twinge of sympathy before it was snuffed out. _Better luck next time._

If there even w_as_ a next time. Once the others had left, Ricardo turned to address them.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he began as he sat back down on his throne. "But I couldn't very well let them leave and head back to Mr. Reyes."

"All part of doing business," Milton replied with a shrug. "So, when do we get our caps?"

Ricardo laughed. "Eager to be paid, are we? I respect that, but I require your assistance first."

Zeke folded his arms. "With what?"

_Dude, what the hell,_ thought Virgil as he turned to Zeke with a raised brow.

_He just said he's going to pay us double what Reyes was going to. Let's at least hear him out._

"There's a settlement near Miami that has managed to avoid joining our tribe," Ricardo said. "They call themselves the Compound."

Zeke's eyes widened as Milton and Virgil shared a look.

"I've seen the type of weapons this tribe has," Zeke said. "You're not going to get far against them."

"You are correct, my friend," Ricardo said. "Which is why tomorrow morning, I will send several tribe members to utilize Mr. Reyes' weapon and weaken The Compound."

"Speaking of which," Virgil said, speaking up for the first time since agreeing to work with Ricardo. "You never told us what this weapon does, exactly."

Ricardo and the others looked to the ghoul.

"It is a Pre-War disease," Ricardo replied. "Which has the ability to kill most humans. It has also allowed the Red Gator Tribe to grow as large as we are." He pushed out of his chair and stood up. "Now, if there aren't any further questions, the three of you are free to wander the village. The dining hall is a longhouse in the center; if you require supplies Sofia should be able to accommodate you. Her store is to the left of the dining hall, and as for entertainment, you should speak to Claudia at the Loving Embrace. Her longhouse is south of the dining hall."

Ricardo looked over Virgil and his companions to one of the guards. He nodded once, before they were steered out of the longhouse.

_Entertainment, huh,_ he thought as he shoved his hands into his pockets. _Might as well give the Loving Embrace a visit._

* * *

After their audience with Ricardo, Milton searched for Psycho. He'd first gone to Sofia, but she'd directed him to Claudia at the Loving Embrace. He'd grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading there.

Currently, he sat in a velvet taupe armchair as he stared at the ground, waiting for his next dose of Psycho. When he'd approached the five-foot woman about acquiring Psycho, she'd given him a room with a girl who came in to occasionally give him his dosage.

There wasn't much to Milton's room. The metallic walls were devoid of any decorations and a single gray shag rug covered most of the hardwood floor. There were two doors, one to his left and one directly in front of him. His head jolted up when he heard someone knock.

"Who's there?" He called.

At that, the door in front of him slowly opened to reveal Zeke.

"What's up," Milton said. "You know, you can get a room, too. I don't know how much they cost, but I don't think they're too expensive."

Zeke closed the door.

"Have you seen Virgil?" He asked softly, and Milton shook his head. "Damn, we have to free the others and get out of here."

"And why would we want to leave?" Milton asked. "They have an endless supply of Psycho and once we get paid- "

Zeke's gaze shifted to the other door, before he neared Milton's armchair.

"Because the others were right not to trust Ricardo," Zeke replied, almost whispering. "I overheard a few of the guards talking about how Ricardo's going to have the three of us killed along with the other members of our group once we've outlived our usefulness."

Milton's eyes widened at the revelation.

_Shit,_ he thought as he scratched his chin. _The others were right. I bet they're going to hold this over our heads, aren't they?_

He pushed that thought aside before slowly standing up.

"Yeah, let's leave," he said. "Do you know where Virgil is?"

"I thought he was with you," Zeke said. Milton shook his head and Zeke sighed. "All right, we'll split up. Once we find him, we'll meet in this room."

Milton nodded. "Sounds good."

With that, the two set about finding the hidden ghoul.

* * *

_Well, Travis, you really fucked up this time, didn't you,_ he thought as he sat down with a sigh.

Travis and the rest of his non-traitorous companions had been led to the prison hut. Once there, they'd been told, they would wait until their execution in the morning. Ariadne and Noelle had cursed and spat as they were being taken away, but Nat and James had been surprisingly silent as they were put into cells.

Travis's gaze shifted through the windows and to the crescent moon outside.

_I'm sorry, Aria,_ he thought as he ran a hand through his hair. _I really screwed things up._

"So, since we're probably going to die here," Nat began, and everyone shifted to Travis. "Why exactly does Ricardo hate your guts?"

Travis sighed as he turned to the others.

"About fifteen years ago, I was making a delivery for someone in Tallassee," he began. "I hadn't gotten very far when a Yao Guai appeared. Normally, if I was by myself, I'd do my best to avoid it. But somehow, this Yao Guai picked up my scent, so I ran. I ran as fast as I could, but it still ended up kicking the crap out of me. I ran until I passed out and when I woke up, I found my wounds had been taken care of." He took a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "That was when I met the most caring and beautiful woman I'd ever met. Her name was Aria." He could still feel the others' gazes on him as he continued. "She stayed by my bedside every day, helping me to regain my strength little by little."

"I'm guessing there's a catch to this story, isn't there?" James asked.

Travis nodded. "There is." He looked up and nodded at the door. "She was already married to Ricardo and pregnant with his child. But she didn't want her child to live in an abusive and controlling environment. So, Aria's father helped us plan our escape. Everything was going well, until Ricardo showed up."

"Wait, where was Ricardo when you and Aria were getting to know each other?" Noelle asked.

"He wasn't at the village when Aria and I met," Travis replied as he shook his head. "From what I remember, Aria said he was out creating political alliances with other factions. She said he frequently left for months and often returned out of the blue."

"What happened next?" Ariadne asked.

"Well, it didn't take Ricardo long to figure out what had happened in his absence," Travis said. "He gave her an ultimatum, to choose the tribe that had killed her mother over the stranger she'd fallen in love with."

"And she chose you," Nat said. "What about her father, Caleb?"

"Aria continued to write to him as we traveled together," Travis said. "I don't know how she managed to even get the letters to him, but she did." He shook his head.

Just then, the prison door creaked open. Everyone briefly glanced toward the door as it closed.

"_Idiota_, I thought I told you never to come here again," said a familiar voice.

"Javi, is that you?" Asked Travis as he stood up.

His old friend snorted as he approached his cell. "You know anyone else who would be willing to join you in prison?" His gaze moved to the others for a split second. "Ah, present company excluded."

"Does someone mind explaining who the hell this guy is?" Ariadne asked.

"Javi is an old friend of mine," Travis replied. "He also helped prepare the escape of Aria and I." He shifted his gaze to his friend. "What are you doing here?"

Javi sighed. "I wish this were better circumstances, but I'm here to inform you all that everyone will be executed tomorrow at sunrise."

_Of course, we will,_ thought Travis. _He wants us out of the way as soon as possible._

Surprised cries and shouts filled the prison. When the others had quieted down again, Javi sighed.

"Yeah I know, I feel like a _cabrón_ just for being here but it's my job," Javi replied.

"While you're at it, I have a request for you," Travis said as he reached into one of the pouches in his belt.

Javi raised a brow at him, before Travis removed a piece of paper. He handed the folded paper to his friend.

"This is from Aria," Travis said as Javi tentatively took the letter. "It was her dying wish that Saoirse read it."

Javi sighed and slid the letter into his boot.

"I'll do what I can," he said. He turned to the others and nodded. "It was nice to meet you, although I wish it hadn't been here."

"Likewise," James said.

* * *

** Hello again dear readers, it's good to see you again (you know what I mean). I hope you're all enjoying the frequent updates as I'm going to do my best to keep them coming.**

**Spanish Translation:**

**Idiota = Idiot**

**Cabrón = Bastard, asshole, etc.**

**Thank you all for reading and please don't forget to leave a review. I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	13. Chapter Twelve: Escaping the Past

_**Chapter Twelve: Escaping the Past**_

**Dearest Darling,**

**If you're reading this, then it means I'm gone. I know you must have so many questions, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to answer any of them.**

**I suppose I should start at the beginning. I don't know how much Travis has told you about me, but I grew up in Vault Twenty just north of Orlando. Vault Twenty was one of Vault-Tec's experimental vaults.**

**Everyone who initially entered was part of a tight-knit community. However, there was an annual drawing within the vault where two members would be forced to fight one another. This came to be known as the Final Match. The fight only ended when one of the contestants was dead. After the first match, the residents spent the entire year preparing for the Final Match. Weapons were allowed but could be removed if a contest lasted more than twenty-four hours. It was a brutal practice, but for many years, people respected this tradition. Yet by the time I came of age, some people within Vault Twenty had decided enough was enough.**

**Half of the vault wanted to abolish the tradition while the other half thought they should continue Vault-Tec's mission. This debate eventually grew so heated, there was a riot. Many people were injured and killed in this riot, including your grandmother.**

**The survivors of this riot left and settled between Vault Twenty and Orlando. My husband at the time, Ricardo, was named the leader of the survivors. He would have you believe the position was thrust upon him but in fact, he had orchestrated the riot and seized control over the weary survivors.**

**After he became Leader of the Red Gator tribe (that was what we called ourselves), he became more concerned with expanding our settlement and creating alliances. On paper, these things sound harmless. But both these things meant forcing outsiders to join our tribe with violent allies helping Ricardo and his men. This meant Ricardo wasn't home much but when he was, he drank quite heavily. When he drank, he would hit me and tell me it was my fault life had become difficult. I stood my ground as best as I could, but I knew I could not remain in that marriage. I promised myself I wouldn't.**

**On one of Ricardo's longer leaves of absence, I met Travis, the love of my life. He was gravely wounded and there was a storm approaching. I knew if he did not receive medical attention soon that he would die. I couldn't live with myself if that happened, so I took him in and nursed him back to health. As I helped him regain his strength, we fell in love. I will tell you that while we were in love, we did not act on our feelings because we knew we weren't safe.**

**My father, Caleb, helped us plan our escape. Our intention was to leave when Travis could properly run but before Ricardo returned. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Ricardo returned early and was furious when he learned of Travis and me.**

**As we were going on our daily walk, he confronted us and forced me to either abandon my tribe or Travis. I chose Travis, and I have never regretted that decision. While I do miss seeing my father, I write to him at least once a month. We can't risk more than that, as he says Ricardo is still searching for me.**

**There is one revelation that I kept from you. Around the time I met Travis, I learned I was pregnant with you. However, part of who you are comes from the man I was with before I met Travis. Ricardo. Knowing I was carrying you motivated me to find some means of escape. That is yet another reason Travis and I left.**

**A few months into my pregnancy, Travis wanted to discuss what would occur should something happen to me. We both agreed it was best to keep you as far away from Ricardo as possible. Without any word from me, he volunteered to care for you until you could take care of yourself. When I asked him if he was certain, he insisted. He said that even though you weren't his, he loved both of us and would do everything in his power to keep us safe.**

**Love with all my heart,**

**Your Mother**

Saoirse sighed as she placed the letter on the nightstand beside her bed. She'd read it numerous times since a guard had slipped it to her after dinner. Her mother's letter filled in the gaps Ricardo had left out of his story. But why had she only been given this letter now?

Interrupting her introspection was a knock on her door.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"It's me," said Ricardo from the other side of the door. "I wish to speak with you."

_Shit, the letter,_ she thought. She looked to the piece of paper, folded it once more, and stuffed it into her bra.

"Come in," she said.

With that, the door opened, and Ricardo entered her room.

"How are you settling in?" He asked as one of the guards closed the door.

Ever since she'd been separated from Travis, she'd always had at least two guards with her. She'd tried to come up with a way to free the others, but even if she took out the guards, she wasn't sure of what might happen to her.

"You mean since you imprisoned my friends and family?" Saoirse replied. "I'm grand."

Ricardo sighed as he looked to the ground. "I'm sorry, Saoirse, but they left me no choice. I could not allow them to leave and possibly return with reinforcements to attack the tribe." His gaze moved to hers, as he stood next to her bed. "At any rate, I didn't come here to argue with you. I know we don't know one another very well, but I'm hoping to change that. I wanted to ask if you would consider a future here, with the Red Gator tribe. I know it's what your mother would've wanted."

_No, it isn't,_ she thought but didn't say. Instead, she held Ricardo's gaze.

"To be honest, I don't know," she said. When his brows furrowed, she added, "I'll need time to think about it."

He nodded. "Of course. I will leave you to consider my offer. Sleep well, my daughter."

He then turned and made his way toward the door.

"Dad?" Saoirse said and Ricardo paused momentarily. "Before Mom left, did you know about me?"

"What do you mean?" He asked before turning around.

"I mean, did you know Mom was pregnant when she left?" Saoirse continued. "I guess I was curious if you knew about me before she left and if so, why you didn't try to contact me sooner."

"Believe it or not, I did try to find you," he said. "I sent search parties weekly to find you. It was because of that thief who kept us apart for so long."

With that, he left the room. Saoirse narrowed her eyes at where he had been as she thought over his response.

_Liar,_ she thought as she pushed off the bed. _I have to find a way to rescue my friends and get out of here._

She grabbed her knapsack off the floor and left her room. If there was one person in this backwards village who could help her, it was her grandfather Caleb. She'd only briefly met her maternal grandfather, but she'd found him greater company than her stepmother and siblings.

"I'll be back, I'm just going for a walk," she told the guards.

She could hear two sets of footsteps behind her as she left the longhouse. A cool evening breeze brushed across her skin as the stars and moon shone overhead. Campfires burned throughout the village as people conversed in hushed tones. Many villagers walked along the path interspersed with guards. When the footfalls didn't grow softer, she ducked in between two huts. She pressed against the back of the metallic building and listened.

"Did you see where she went?" The first guard asked.

"No," replied the second. "Should we tell Ricardo?"

"_Idiota_, and tell him we lost his daughter?" The first said. "No, we'll enlist a small contingent of guards to help look. We'll meet back here in a half hour and if we haven't found her by then, we'll go to him."

Saoirse let out a sigh of relief when she heard the guards split up.

"Is everything well, granddaughter?" Asked a familiar voice.

Saoirse turned to see her grandfather Caleb, his tall and muscular frame intimidating to some.

"_Abuelo_," she said and raced to give him a hug. "I need your help."

"You need only ask, _nieta_," he said. "What do you need?"

As Saoirse opened her mouth to respond, three familiar footsteps rushed toward them.

"Hey, Saoirse, we need your help," Virgil panted. "Ricard plans to kill the three of us and the members of our group he's imprisoned once we've outlived our usefulness. We have to free the others."

Saoirse shared a look with her grandfather.

"I have a plan," said Caleb.

* * *

The moon shone through the prison windows as Ariadne sighed while sitting on her bench. She stared at the trash covered ground as the wind howled outside.

Earlier, Noelle had asked Travis if there was any form of escape. When he'd informed them of their surroundings, the number of guards standing watch, and that they didn't have weapons, their situation became clear. As she sat in her cell, reflecting over her short life, she thought back to the night her life had gone to hell.

xxxxx

_Ariadne was surrounded by flames hungrily consuming the remains of her farm. The house, the barn, the crops, nothing was spared from the blaze. Smoke rose into the dark sky above. Mooing Brahmin could be heard in the distance, before the sound of distant hooves could no longer be heard. Ariadne stumbled through the fiery labyrinth as she searched for her mother._

"_Mom!" She yelled. "Mom!"_

_She ran toward the stables, until she was stopped by a wall of flame. She broke out into a coughing fit, removing one arm from her Red Ryder BB gun to cover her mouth._

"_Ari," called a familiar voice. Wading through the smoke and appearing before her was Ariadne's mother. Her brown hair and angular face were covered with soot. A smile lit up her face, "Ari, I was so worried."_

_She rushed to her daughter and squeezed her tight._

"_We have to go, kiddo," her mother said. "The NCR will find us soon."_

"_What about the farm?" Asked Ari. "What about our life here? Can't we just explain it to them and rebuild everything the way it was?"_

_Her mother sighed as she brushed some soot from Ari's cheek with her thumb._

"_I'm sorry, Ree, but we can't take that chance," her mother said with a sigh. "The NCR will hear about this and when they do, they'll send more soldiers to have us arrested, tried, and hanged."_

_Ari nodded, and her mother leaned down to kiss her forehead._

xxxxx

Ari looked to where her mother sat and caught her gaze. Ever since that day, she'd been angry. At the Brahmin Baron for killing her grandparents and taking their farm, at her mother for not doing enough to prevent their farm from being taken away, but also at herself.

When one of the Brahmin Baron's men had killed her grandfather, she'd vowed to give the Brahmin Baron some retribution. But instead, she'd completely upended their lives without a single thought to the consequences.

Now they'd not only lost their farm and were permanently exiled from the NCR, but they were stranded in some backwater village, sitting in a prison cell as they waited to die.

"Mom, I'm sorry," she said as tears threatened to spill over. She sniffled and held them back as best as she could. "I'm sorry about that night-"

Without another word, her mom stood up and reached her arm through the bars. Ariadne stood up and held onto her mother's hand. Ariadne closed her eyes as she squeezed her mother's hand.

"I know, Ree," her mom whispered. "I know."

Her eyes snapped open when she heard fighting outside. Both pulled apart and everyone turned to the door as Saoirse, Milton, and Zeke stepped through the flap.

"Saoirse," Travis said, his eyes wide. When his gaze moved to Zeke and Milton, his eyes narrowed. "Thought you two would've been loading up with as much Psycho as you could handle."

Just as Zeke opened his mouth to reply, Saoirse beat him to it.

"They realized what a douchebag he was and came to me," she lowered her hunting rifle. "We can talk more about it later but right now you guys need your weapons."

"Sounds like a plan," James said.

With that, Ariadne and the rest of the group followed Saoirse, Zeke, and Milton.

"So, if you three are helping us, where did Virgil go?" Noelle asked.

"And what's our plan to escape?" Nat added.

* * *

"Are you sure we're going in the right direction?" Virgil asked as he looked to Caleb.

While the others got their guns back, Caleb and Virgil would collect the weapon. It was agreed Virgil would rendezvous with the others near the edge of the village. In order to avoid punishment, Caleb would leave on his own. Virgil tepidly offered Caleb to join their group, but he refused. He reassured the ghoul he knew the Sunshine Wastes like the back of his hand.

The sounds of shouting and gunfire could be heard in the distance. People with children herded them inside, locking their doors and closing their shutters. Both men paused as guards rushed past them, weapons withdrawn.

Caleb nodded. "I am. It's not much further now."

The pair ran past countless huts, which grew further apart as they went. Virgil hoped that whatever the others were doing, it would distract the guards long enough for them to grab the weapon. As more guards went to deal with their companions, Virgil grew more confident that retrieving the weapon would be a cinch. That was, until they reached a longhouse surrounded by armed guards. Some of the guards stepped forward and Caleb looked to Virgil expectantly.

_Well, we're screwed,_ he thought. He only had one knife, and he wasn't certain if Caleb was armed. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, his hands wrapped around the few explosives he still had from the caravan.

_Then again, maybe not,_ he thought as he looked to Caleb.

"I have an idea," he said as he fished a frag grenade out of his pocket. "But once I pull this pin, we're going to have to run."

Caleb nodded and Virgil removed the pin. Tossing the grenade near the guards, the pair rushed to a nearby hut. Fortunately for them, it was empty. Virgil could hear the shouts as the grenade went off. He waited near the door as Caleb crouched on the other side of the door.

Virgil waited until he heard movement near the hut, before pulling another grenade out of his pocket. He waited until the footsteps grew closer, before he removed the pin and opened the door. He heard the guards calling to one another as he tossed the second grenade outside. He quickly closed the door again, as some of the guards cried out in pain.

* * *

Nat grunted as she kicked a guard in the knee. The darkly dressed man slid back as he loosened his grip on his weapon. Using her Shishkebab, she severed his head from his body.

After they'd retrieved their armaments, Natasha and the rest of the group had tried to make their way to the rendezvous point. Unfortunately, they'd only gotten halfway when Natasha and her party met heavy resistance. A few guards lay scattered and unmoving on the ground.

"Is anyone else running out of ammo?" James asked as he dodged a shot from one of the guards.

"Yes," Milton and Zeke replied in unison.

Milton fired at a blond guard to his left. The blond man moved out of the way of the bullet just in time.

"We can't leave without Virgil," Saoirse replied. "He was supposed to retrieve the weapon with Caleb."

Travis fired at the chest of one guard. The leather-clad man avoided the first bullet, but not the second. As red blossomed from the wound in his chest, Travis fired another shot.

"Saoirse, take Noelle and Ariadne, go help Virgil and Caleb," he shouted.

"And what about us?" Milton asked as he fired at the blond man's head.

"We make a run for it," Travis replied. "Try to slow them down on the way to the rendezvous," he briefly looked to Saoirse. "We'll stay there as long as we can."

Saoirse nodded as she threw a frag mine at a nearby guard.

"We'll be there," she said and motioned for Noelle and Ariadne. "Come on."

With that, Natasha, Travis, Milton, Zeke, and James rushed for the edge of the camp while Ariadne, Saoirse, and Noelle raced in the opposite direction.

"Be careful," Nat shouted.

Ari partially turned to her and nodded, before disappearing into the labyrinth of huts.

* * *

** What's up fellow readers? I hope everyone, especially my audience members in the US, are staying safe and healthy.**

** So, for those of you who don't know, as an author on Fanfiction, I get to view the statistics for each of my stories. Views and visits are broken down by chapter and according to my statistics, the second-highest viewed chapter is Chapter Ten (aka, the one where Saoirse and Milton fight a Yao Guai). Just a little food for thought.**

** Also, here's some additional Spanish translations.**

** Abuelo = Grandfather**

**Nieta = Granddaughter**

** Before you go, please don't forget to leave a review. Your reviews are the best check I have!**


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Heist of the Centuries

_**Chapter Thirteen: Heist of the Centuries**_

Saoirse, Ariadne, and Noelle raced through the camp as they searched for Virgil and Caleb. The trio hadn't seen too many guards thus far, but they'd all been careful to avoid them as best they could.

"Where exactly did Caleb and Virgil go again?" Noelle whispered as they ran.

"Caleb said they'd go to the armory on the opposite side of the village," Saoirse replied.

"Wait, there's another armory?" Ariadne inquired.

Just as Saoirse opened her mouth to respond, she heard gruff and unfamiliar voices ahead. She ran to a nearby hut and turned to her friends.

"There's two armories," she whispered. "Caleb said the second armory holds the more dangerous weapons, including the one we were sent to retrieve. Now, come on, I think they're just up ahead."

"How do we want to play this?" Ariadne asked.

Saoirse moved closer to the edge of the hut wall. She peered around the side and counted half a dozen guards surrounding a hut up ahead.

"See the hut with all the guards?" Saoirse asked and the others shifted to see. "We're going to each find a place to hide around that hut, and fire at the guards. After we take a shot, we disappear and then reappear somewhere else and take a few more shots. We'll keep doing that until there are no more guards."

"Sounds good," Ari said as she withdrew her Red Ryder BB gun.

With that, the trio of teens took positions behind adjacent huts. Saoirse chose one in front of the hut. She removed her pistols from their holsters as she crept toward the nearest guard. She aimed at his back and fired. The first shot reached its mark, but by the second the leather-clad man turned, and she fired again at his chest.

The man fell as Noelle and Ariadne fired their respective weapons. Saoirse then raced to another hut as the other guards searched for the adolescents. She set her sights on a man with a machete and fired twice at the back of his head. The first shot hit, but the second missed as the man turned toward her. As he took a step, a frag grenade landed at his feet. Saoirse looked to see Caleb and Virgil emerge from a nearby hut as the man's leg was blown off.

"Thanks for the assist," Saoirse said. "Are you guys okay?"

"As much as we can be," Caleb replied as he looked to Virgil.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he said with a sigh as he brushed imaginary dust off his clothes. "Can we get that weapon before anyone else does, please?"

"We're ready when you are," Ariadne said as she and Noelle joined them.

With that, the group followed Caleb. Saoirse and the party kept their weapons withdrawn as they approached a longhouse.

"Everyone be ready for anything," Caleb warned, as he looked at each group member in turn. They all nodded at him, before following him into the building.

Various guns and swords hung from the metallic walls as containers lined either side of the hallway. Standing at the end of the hall with at least half a dozen guards was Ricardo with a predatory smirk.

"Did you think I would not anticipate your arrival here?" He asked. "You all are greedy, thieving pigs." He then turned to Saoirse. "And you, I expected better of you. You are my own flesh and blood."

_That makes two of us,_ thought Saoirse as she stepped forward.

"Don't pretend this outcome surprised you," she said, letting venom drip from her voice. "You're not my family. You never have been, and you never will be." She raised her pistols and aimed them at his forehead. "This is for my mom, you son of a bitch."

She then pulled the trigger twice.

* * *

Zeke fired his last two bullets into a nearby guard.

"Out of ammo," he called as he joined the others at the rendezvous point.

"Me too," James said at the same time Milton and Natasha called, "Same here."

Zeke scanned the area behind Travis. All the nearby huts were shuttered, with smoke from dying campfires rising into the dark sky above.

"We have to wait for the others," Travis insisted. "We came for the weapon and we can't leave without it."

_We can't afford to wait forever,_ Zeke thought as he folded his arms with a sigh. _What if more guards show up?_

"Let's wait a little while longer," James said.

"Come on, we're almost there," came Saoirse's voice from the distance.

Everyone's gaze shifted to the village as Virgil, Saoirse, Noelle, and Ariadne ran toward them. Saoirse was in the lead, carrying what appeared to be a small vial.

"We got the weapon," she huffed as they approached. "And Caleb's safely on his way to Orlando."

_Wonder if that old coot knew something like this would happen,_ Zeke thought and pushed it aside.

"That's the weapon?" Milton asked with a raised brow. "What is it?"

"We can discuss it later," Travis said. "Right now, let's get back to Orlando." He looked to the others. "How are you all on ammo?"

Saoirse looked to Virgil, Noelle, and Ariadne before shifting her gaze to Travis.

"Not a lot," she replied.

"Okay, then let's hope we don't run into anything out there," said Travis.

As Zeke and the rest of the group hurried to Orlando, he eyed the flask warily. Whatever the hell was in there, it must be pretty damn powerful.

* * *

A half-hour later, Milton and the group managed to make it through the gates of Orlando shortly before they closed. Travis led them to his room at the Gator Inn. Milton and the rest of the party settled in various places around the room.

"Okay, first order of business, what did Caleb say that was?" Travis asked as he pointed to the vial in Saoirse's hand.

She shook her head. "He wasn't specific. Just said it was some type of Pre-War virus."

"Lovely," Zeke said as he folded his arms.

"So, this thing will need to be kept in a safe place," James said.

"Yep, that sounds about right," Travis said. His gaze moved throughout the room. "So, how do we decide who babysits it?"

"Nose goes," Virgil said, and put a finger to his nose.

"What?" Travis asked, as the three adolescents mirrored his action.

Zeke sighed and shrugged as he copied them. "I don't know, just follow along."

Milton rushed to tap his finger to his nose. Nat and Travis did the same, and James was the only one left without a finger to his nose.

"Last one without a finger to his nose loses," Virgil finally explained. He kept a finger on his nose before pointing to James. "And since he didn't do it, he gets to babysit the bottle."

Milton and his comrades either groaned or rolled their eyes. Leave it to Virgil to come up with random and absurd games.

Travis removed his fingers and turned to James.

"Are you okay with this?" He asked. "If you don't want to— "

"I'll be fine," James said as he gently took the container from Saoirse. "Besides, at least I won't sell it to the highest bidder."

Virgil scoffed while Milton and Zeke rolled their eyes.

Virgil stretched his arms above his head and yawned.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you," Virgil said as he stretched his arms above his head, "but I'm ready to hit the sack."

Milton nodded. "We'll have more time to discuss our options after we've had some decent sleep."

"Sounds good," Travis said with a nod as he folded his arms. "There should be more rooms available, but you'll have to act fast. Miguel and his husband Jorge go to bed soon."

"Until tomorrow, then," James agreed.

_Today certainly has been a long day,_ thought Milton as he and the others filed out of the room. _Hopefully, we'll get some more answers about that thing tomorrow._

* * *

After everyone purchased their rooms, Travis once again asked James if he was alright having the vial. James had again reassured him before heading off to his room. He sat on his bed as he stared at the flask. The contents within were clear.

"Unassuming and dangerous," he murmured. "Just like someone else I know."

He gently set the vial on the nightstand beside his bed as he rubbed the brand on his wrist. He'd thought about trying to find gloves or get some sort of tattoo to cover it up. But he didn't much feel like answering any possible questions that might arise because of it.

He placed his straw hat and sunglasses on the nightstand and slipped off his sandals. He picked up the vial and padded into the bathroom in search of something to keep the vial in.

"Perfect," he said as he removed a cup from the bathroom cupboard.

He moved his hat and sunglasses within the nightstand as he placed the cup on top. He gently placed the vial within the cup before taking his hat and shirt off and slipping beneath the blankets. As his head lay on the pillow, he stared at the flask.

_Please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me,_ he thought.

* * *

** Hello, readers new and old. Just a quick update on the viewer numbers, which has apparently reached 1012 views! Thank you to everyone who reads this, you guys make it worth it.**

** Also, I apologize for the Saoirse/Travis heavy chapters. Their parts were important to the story, but I promise things will start to level out more next chapter.**

** Lastly, if you're so inclined and have something to say leave a review. Either way, I'll see you next chapter!**


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Friend of the Scribe

_**Chapter Fourteen: Friend of the Scribe**_

_Travis was once again, back at his home in Miami. This time, he was on the roof overlooking the city._

_The teak wood picnic table was relatively clean, and the orange Pre-War grill was closed. Past the picnic table and grill were two foldable red and white beach chairs. Sitting in one of the chairs was Aria, who arose when he approached._

"_I gave her the letter," was the first thing that came out of his mouth._

_She smiled and placed a hand to his cheek._

"_Thank you, _cariño_," she said as she brushed her thumb against his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her, taking in her sweet, lilac scent. "How is she doing?"_

_That was something Travis had been asking himself since he'd reunited with Saoirse last night. He'd expected her to talk to him after they'd gotten back to Orlando, but when he'd asked her if she was okay, she told him she needed space._

_He sighed. "I don't know, Aria. She seemed really down last night when we got back. I talked with Ariadne and Noelle, and they said they don't know either."_

"_Give her time, _mi amor_," Aria whispered. "You know it often takes her a while to sort through what she's feeling."_

"_You're right," he said with a sigh as he pulled her closer. He wished he could remain in this moment forever. "I just wish there was something I could do to help her."_

_She nodded. "I know." She leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. "But you cannot fix everything."_

xxxxx

Travis slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He briefly glanced at the time on his Pip-Boy. 7:30 AM.

_I know I can't fix everything, Aria,_ he thought as he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. _But that doesn't mean I can't try._

* * *

Noelle and her companions ate in relative silence. She briefly looked to Saoirse, once again, as her friend left their booth. She'd had a lost expression since leaving the Red Gator Tribe the night before. She hadn't even intervened when Noelle and Ariadne had gotten into a fight about who would sleep on the top bunk.

Noelle looked to Ari, who was actually talking to her mom again. When Ari's gaze moved to Noelle, she leaned toward her friend.

"Should one of us say something to her?" Noelle whispered. "She hasn't said much since we left last night."

Ari shook her head. "She went through a lot last night. Just give her time to figure shit out."

_Yeah, she did go through a lot,_ thought Noelle as she finished her Nuka Cola. _That's why she needs our help._

Once everyone was finished with breakfast, they all went back to James' room at the Gator Inn.

"Okay, so let's start with what we do know," Travis began.

"It's some Pre-War virus that Luciano Reyes _somehow_ got a hold of," Saoirse said. "Which makes sense, considering the Reyes Family's close ties to the United States Pre-War government."

_Holy crap, they really are that powerful,_ thought Noelle.

Like most Miami residents, she'd heard stories about the Pre-War power of the Reyes Family. How they'd immigrated from Europe and came to Miami to make their fortune. And, once they'd gotten into bootlegging and made the vital connections, they'd done just that. Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing actual proof was another.

"Ricardo exposed other people to this virus and forced the ones that were left or didn't resist to join the Red Gator Tribe," Zeke said.

"Is there any way we can learn more about what's actually in this vial?" Nat asked.

"There is one person I know who might be able to help," Travis replied. "She's an expert on Pre-War technology. If anyone can identify it, it would be her."

"Then I'd say we pay her visit," James said.

Travis nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

* * *

Virgil shielded his eyes from the sun as he and his comrades walked along a dirt path. Trees soon replaced the secure walls of Orlando, as a distant trail of smoke drifted into the sky ahead. Nestled in the woods was a small, wooden cabin with an attached garage and wrap around porch. As they grew closer, Virgil noticed a woman with a tight blonde bun in the attached garage. She was bent over a table, working on a plasma rifle.

_Wow, she packs some serious firepower,_ Virgil thought.

The woman sighed and straightened up as they approached. She kept her back to them as she spoke.

"I don't know what the hell you're doing here, but you should leave. Right now."

Travis held up a hand, and the group stopped. He moved closer to the woman as she turned around.

"Travis Mason," she said, as a smile broke out on her face. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

He returned her smile and nodded. "It has. My companions and I," he gestured to Virgil and the rest of the group, "would like your help with something. It's about some Pre-War technology."

"Alright," she said as she removed a towel from a pocket in her green mechanic jumpsuit and wiped off her hands. "What can I help with?"

"Actually, Melissa, it might be better if we do this inside," Travis said. "It's of a sensitive nature."

Melissa looked between Travis and the members of his group with a raised brow.

"In that case, why don't you head inside, and I'll join you in a bit?" She suggested. "I have some cleaning to do. You remember where the key is?"

Travis nodded as he turned toward the front door. "I do. We'll see you in a bit, Mel."

_Mel,_ Virgil thought as he and the other group members followed Travis. _How does Travis know her?_ Then again, considering his travels, Travis seemed to know a variety of people. Still, the ghoul found his curiosity tugging at him like a cat with string.

* * *

Ariadne and the others settled in Melissa's living room as they waited for their hostess. A few minutes later, she arrived in a white tank top and jeans, carrying a tray of Nuka Colas.

"Figured you guys might want something to drink," she said, as she placed the tray on the glass coffee table.

"Thank you," Noelle and Saoirse said, as both took one of the bottles.

Milton and Virgil did the same, before returning to their seats on the couch. Everyone who'd grabbed a Nuka Cola sipped their drinks quietly.

"You're welcome," Melissa said as she folded her arms. "Now, you said there was some Pre-War technology you wanted me to look at."

Travis looked to James and nodded. James removed the vial from his pocket and Melissa's green eyes widened to the size of a Behemoth. She tentatively took it from James and carefully examined it.

"You recognize it?" Travis asked.

Melissa swore under her breath as she nodded.

"Unfortunately, I do," she said, before handing it to Travis. "During my time with the Brotherhood of Steel, my main job was to study Pre-War diseases."

_A former Brotherhood of Steel soldier, huh,_ Ariadne mused. _Makes sense how she knows so much about Pre-War technology, then._

The Brotherhood of Steel was a Pre-War organization that sought to collect and hoard all Pre-War technology. The reason behind that was because ordinary citizens couldn't be trusted with such powerful technology, but Ari had always thought they used it to bully people.

"So, what's in the flask?" Zeke asked.

Melissa sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "What you have in that container is a Pre-War disease called the New Plague. It's also known as the Blue Flu or Limit 115." She eyed the vial warily as she continued. "The incubation period for the New Plague is anywhere between three to five days. Initial symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches, and so on." She wrapped her arms around herself. "However, after a period of time, the patient will experience profuse sweating, painful blue boils, and eventually death. That particular illness was so deadly, there was a national quarantine within the United States starting in 2053."

Ariadne's eyes, and some of the other group members widened at Melissa's statement.

_So that's why Luciano was so desperate to get this thing back,_ thought Ariadne.

"Follow up question," Virgil said as he raised his hand. Melissa turned to him and he lowered it. "On a scale of one to ten, what's the risk we all will catch and die of this horrible disease?"

"As long as the bottle isn't broken or damaged in any way, I'd say you're fine," Melissa replied. "But I would highly recommend getting rid of it as soon as possible." She shifted her gaze toward Travis with a raised brow. "Dare I ask how you came into contact with this vial in the first place?"

"It's probably best if we don't share that information," Travis said. When Melissa opened her mouth to object, he added, "It's for your safety."

Melissa simply nodded. "Regardless, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you get rid of that by whatever means necessary."

* * *

** Hello again, fellow readers. I know I've said this before, but I hope everyone (especially my audience in the US) is staying safe and healthy! Lastly, if you're new here or you've been here since the prologue, your feedback is very much appreciated.**


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Out of Time

_**Chapter Fifteen: Out of Time**_

With Melissa's warning echoing in their heads, Natasha and her companions returned to Orlando. As they stepped through the gate, they were approached by a blonde woman surrounded by several armed and armored guards. She wore a dirty black suit and her hair was styled in a low bun.

"Are you the group that Luciano Reyes hired to retrieve his weapon?" She inquired.

"That depends," Zeke said, folding his muscular arms. "Who's asking?"

"My name is Elena, and I am an associate of Vito Santoni," she replied as she adjusted her sunglasses.

_Well, things just got a whole lot more complicated,_ thought Natasha.

"What do you want with this weapon?" Travis asked.

"Mr. Santoni and the Santoni Family would be very interested in relieving you of said weapon," Elena replied. "For the right price, of course."

"How many caps are we talking?" Virgil asked.

Elena turned to him. "Everyone involved would receive twice the number of caps Mr. Reyes promised upon delivery of the weapon to the Santoni Residence."

"We'll think about it," James said, before anyone else could respond.

Elena nodded and just as she turned away, Milton spoke.

"Just how long do we have to make a decision?"

Elena shifted back to the group.

"You'll have until you reach Miami," she replied. "May you all choose wisely."

With that, she and her guards walked away. Natasha and her cohorts watched Elena disappear in the crowd, before making their way to the Gator Inn. They all stood or sat in Saoirse, Noelle, and Ariadne's shared room. The vial of New Plague sat in a small cup on the coffee table in the center of the room.

"So now that we know what that thing is, what do we do with it?" James asked.

"I won't lie, Santoni's deal is tempting," Milton said.

"Of course it is," Virgil said. "I want to deliver that thing to them right now."

"Yeah, but what if it's another Ricardo situation where he stabs us in the back?" asked Zeke. "You know it's his style to get rid of any loose ends."

Virgil turned to him with a raised brow as he leaned toward the more muscular man.

"Did you not hear the part where we get more caps?" He asked.

"Either way, do we really want any of the Big Three to have the power to take over Miami?" Travis asked.

The room was silent for a moment as everyone's gazes shifted around the room.

"I don't know who these Big Three are, but if they're powerful enough to acquire Pre-War diseases like this and use it to wipe out their enemies, then none of them should have it," Natasha said from her spot near the window.

Everyone in the room briefly looked to her.

"We should put it to a vote," James suggested. "Majority rules."

Travis nodded. "I agree. First, those who think we should deliver the New Plague to Luciano Reyes as we were hired, raise your hand."

No one raised their hands and Travis nodded.

"Now, those who want to deliver the New Plague to Vito Santoni?" He said.

Virgil and Milton's hands shot into the air.

_Both of those options sound like shit,_ thought Nat as she folded her arms. _This disease is extremely dangerous._

"Okay, now those who think we should destroy it," Travis said, and Natasha found herself agreeing with James, Travis, and the three teenagers. "Alright, looks like we have a majority."

Virgil sighed and stood up.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but all this voting is making me hungry," he said.

James nodded. "Yeah, I could use a bite to eat."

* * *

A few minutes later, Zeke and the group were seated at their booth at the Hansom Shoe Repair. A handful of customers occupied other tables as The Beach Boys emanated from the Jukebox. A waitress came to their table and delivered their drinks before disappearing again. Zeke took a drink of beer as he scanned the room. The other customers were engrossed in their own meals and conversing with one another.

"So, what's our plan for disposing of the device?" He whispered.

"There's a place within Miami," Travis began and drank his beer. "It's called the Opal Garden. Before the war, it had the most exotic plants and animals anywhere in the world. When the bombs dropped, it mutated the plants into flesh-eating monsters."

"Would-be treasure hunters venture into the garden, but never come out," Saoirse continued. "If we threw the virus in there, the plants would just consume the vial like they do the people who set foot there. It's the perfect place to dispose of it."

Zeke watched Milton, Virgil, and Noelle shudder at the news.

_Should we even ask what that will do to the city,_ thought Zeke as he took another swig of beer. _Or the plants?_

"Wouldn't that expose all of Miami to the virus?" Milton interjected.

Saoirse shook her head. "Not necessarily. Remember, Melissa said we're safe as long as the vial isn't cracked. The garden will consume the virus within the container."

"And how do you two know so much about this garden anyway?" Zeke asked with a raised brow.

"When you've lived in Miami long enough, you hear things," Travis replied.

"Okay, but how are we going to get into Miami undetected?" Asked James. "If the Santoni Family, or any of the Big Three, know we're screwing them over, we're all going to be on their hit lists."

"There's a side door the guards use when they change shifts," Travis replied. "If we sneak in that way, we can go through the guard's barracks. One of the guards owes Saoirse and I a favor, so we'll ask him to let us in that way."

"How do you know when this guard is on duty?" Zeke inquired.

"He works the night shift," Travis replied. "Still does, as of a few weeks ago."

Before anyone could ask any further questions, the waitress arrived at their table with lunch. Zeke and the group tucked into their meals.

_Well, I guess it's better than nothing,_ he thought.

* * *

When Saoirse and her compatriots had finished lunch, some of the group members needed to restock their ammunition. Travis agreed to give them at least a half hour before meeting at the gates. Saoirse took Natasha, Ariadne, and Noelle to Paxton's Surplus Supplies. Once she'd purchased the ammunition and Stimpaks she needed, she approached Noelle as Ari was busy chatting with Natasha.

"Hey Noelle," she whispered, and her friend turned to her. "If anyone asks, I'm taking a walk before we leave. I'll meet you guys at the gate."

She turned away from her friend and made her way to the door.

"Are you sure you don't want someone to come with you?" Noelle called from behind her.

_Sorry, but I have to do this on my own,_ Saoirse thought as she stepped onto the busy streets of Orlando.

Weaving her way through the streets, she eventually reached a red and white sign labeled 'Nuka Land — Under Construction'. Because of the success of Nuka World, John-Caleb Bradberton had decided to create Nuka Land. He'd purchased a shit ton of land, meaning to capitalize on his previous success. However, the bombs had dropped before Nuka Land was finished and accessible to the public.

She stopped upon reaching a Nuka-Cola themed merry-go-round. Brown and white horses stood on the circular platform with red saddles. The words 'Nuka Cola' were written on each saddle.

Saoirse sat on one of the white horses. As she went to remove the letter from her bra, she heard a familiar voice.

"She made me promise not to give it to you until you were ready."

She turned to see Travis, the man she'd called her father her entire life, standing behind the merry-go-round. He climbed onto the platform and took a seat on a nearby brown horse.

"It was the hardest promise I've ever had to keep," he said with a sigh. "I'm sorry, kiddo."

"Why didn't you tell me about it before?" She asked as she shifted to face him.

He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Remember that one afternoon when you ran into the house after that one kid Ethan White said your mother never loved you?"

"You told me you had proof she did," she replied, putting a hand over where the letter was.

"That's right," he said with a nod. "She wrote that letter about a month before you were born. She was undecided about whether to write that letter at all, but I told her you should have something from her besides that picture."

Saoirse nodded as she looked toward the horizon.

"How'd you figure out I was here, anyway?" She asked. "I didn't tell anyone where I went."

"You mean, other than the fact you always used to come here on our trips to Orlando?" He asked with a snort. "Noelle came to me as soon as you left."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course she did."

"So, what else is on your mind?" He asked, his umber eyes searching hers.

She sighed as she removed a stray hair from her face.

"I'm mad that Ricardo put mom in a situation where she felt leaving was the only option. But I'm also sad that I didn't get to know my grandpa better," she said. As tears sprang to her eyes, she wiped them away. "I just wish she were here."

"I know, kiddo, me too," Travis said as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "And after this job, you and I can sit down and talk all about it. But right now, we have to get to the gate or else Virgil and Milton are going to sell that vial to whoever will give them the most caps."

He flashed her a warm smile and pushed out of his seat. Saoirse did the same and she followed him out of the park.

"Dad," she said. He stopped walking and turned to her. "I love you."

She closed the distance between them and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"I love you too, kiddo," he said.

* * *

Noelle and her comrades finally left Orlando at 12:30 PM. Natasha walked with Ariadne and Saoirse, with Noelle in the middle.

"So, what was dad really like?" Ari asked, her green eyes wide with anticipation.

"Quasar was a risk-taker through and through. He once said laws were made to prevent people like him from living their best life," Natasha said with a laugh. "He loved to drink and gamble, but usually bit off more than he could chew." She looked to her daughter and ruffled her hair, "He would have been proud of you."

Ariadne's face lit up and Noelle shared a smile with Saoirse. As Noelle opened her mouth to speak, their conversation was interrupted by a gruff male voice.

"You that group hired by the Reyes Family?"

The group stopped and Noelle shifted her gaze to a man with a Mohawk and sunglasses. He blocked their path along with a dozen other armed, leather-clad men. Noelle's pulse skyrocketed as she looked between the man with the Mohawk and Travis, whose expression remained stoic as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"And who might you be?" He asked.

"Me?" The man with the Mohawk said. "I'm a nobody. But maybe you've heard of my boss, Kaiden Doyle?"

_Shit,_ thought Noelle. _How do they even know we have the New Plague? Or even that it exists?_

"What about him?" Travis said, not moving an inch.

Mohawk man walked toward the taller man, looking up at Travis as his brows furrowed.

"My employer wants that vial," the man with the Mohawk said. "So, you can either hand it over peacefully," with that, he and his men withdrew their weapons and pointed them at the group, "or resist."

Noelle and her companions all pulled out their weapons and pointed them at the darkly dressed men.

"I don't care who your employer is," Travis said. "Get out of our way, now."

The man with the Mohawk shook his head and sighed as he aimed his combat shotgun at Natasha's chest.

"Not the answer I was lookin' for," he said and fired two shots.

* * *

** Okay, so I'd like to start this off by apologizing. I hate, absolutely hate, when I get attached to a character and they die. Hence, why I don't usually kill off my main characters. However, this was requested of me by the people who own Natasha and Ariadne (whose identities will remain a secret). That being said, I would like to thank everyone whose read this story and ask that you leave a review. Constructive criticism is always welcome!**


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Ready, Set, Go!

_**Chapter Sixteen: Ready, Set, Go!**_

"Mom, no!" Shouted Ariadne as her mother collapsed to the ground.

Time seemed to slow down as Ariadne knelt beside her mother as she searched her own belongings for a Stimpak. She could feel her heart pound in her ears as she watched the color drain from her mother's face. People shouted nearby, but to her, they appeared a million miles away.

"Ree, don't," her mother gasped as she clutched her chest. "It won't help."

"You don't know that," Ari said, as tears spilled down her cheeks. "If I could just find a damn —"

"Ariadne," her mother said firmly as she grabbed one of Ari's wrists. Ariadne felt her throat constrict when she saw the amount of blood covering her mother's hands. "I'm sorry we didn't have more time together." Her mother whispered as she squeezed her hand. "Your father and I love you very much."

Ariadne watched as her mother's green eyes glazed over at the same moment her grip loosened. Ariadne removed her mother's hand and stood up. She withdrew her cedar baseball bat and pushed past the other group members.

"Hey, Mohawk guy," she said as she approached the man who'd shot her mother. He briefly shifted his attention away from Travis and toward her. "Wrong move, asshole."

She then swung her baseball bat as hard as she could at the man's head. A loud _crack_ rang throughout the forest as Mohawk man and his combat shotgun fell to the ground. The other leather-clad men's eyes widened before Travis yelled to the others.

"Everyone, spread out and take cover."

* * *

James followed Travis' instructions and hid behind a thin pine tree. It wasn't a great source of cover, but it would do for now.

_This is insane,_ thought James as he peered out from behind the tree to fire at a man with a 9mm pistol. _How the hell did they even know we were here?_

His shots just barely missed, and he moved behind the tree again as the man began to fire. When he heard grunting and cursing in proximity, he glanced up to see Virgil climbing one of the Sunshine Wastes pines.

_Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised,_ thought James as he aimed his .45 pistol at the man with the 9mm again. _He's not really a Guns and Bullets kind of guy._

He fired twice, with the first bullet finding its mark right above his chest.

_Then again, neither am I,_ he thought as the man with the 9mm pistol charged at him.

James held out his pistol and fired again, aiming for the man's chest. This time, both bullets hit, and the leather-clad man fell to the ground beside his weapon. James then moved out from behind the tree and searched the battlefield.

Saoirse, Noelle, and Ariadne took on two of the Doyle men by themselves near Natasha's body. Ariadne was fighting particularly hard, with beads of sweat appearing on her forehead as she hit one of the darkly dressed men in the forehead. He inwardly winced at hearing the crack that followed.

Travis was using a Ripper against one opponent with a Chinese sword and the other a 10mm pistol, while Milton and Zeke fought three men side by side.

"Hey, if you need some help," Virgil called as James looked up at him. He watched the ghoul remove a few frag grenades from his pocket.

_Where the hell did he get so many explosives,_ thought James.

He shook his head. "Keep those for now. If we get desperate, that's when we'll need them."

"Roger," said Virgil with a mock salute as he pocketed the grenades.

"I could use some help here," Travis called.

James rushed toward Travis, as his companion just managed to dodge a bullet while his Ripper clanged against another man's Chinese sword. James aimed his pistol at the man with the sword and fired in between his eyes. The man with the Chinese sword turned to James but was unable to avoid two bullets to the head. As he landed to the ground, Travis and James turned to the man with the 10mm pistol.

He fired at James and Travis as they charged him. James ducked while Travis moved to the side. Both men kept moving closer and closer to the man with the pistol. As Travis approached the man with the 10mm pistol, he fired a shot. Fortunately, Travis moved his Ripper just in time to deflect a bullet.

_Man, I should get one of those for myself,_ thought James.

As Travis approached the other man, Travis sawed the man's head clean off his shoulders. The head, body, and Chinese sword fell to the ground. Travis swiped the blood off before he turned to James.

"Thanks for the save," said Travis with a nod. "Let's try and help the others."

"Right behind you," James said.

He reloaded his pistol and followed Travis as they joined Zeke and Milton. Two leather-clad men lay on the ground, as four darkly dressed men fought.

"Is there any other route back to Miami?" James asked as he just managed to avoid a spiked baseball bat.

"There is," Travis replied as he kicked the man with the baseball bat in the knee. The man grunted as he slid back. "But I'd prefer not to let our opponents know where we're headed."

James nodded as the man with the baseball bat charged at them again.

_Guess I'd better focus on staying alive long enough to make it back to Orlando,_ he thought as he aimed his .45 pistol at his foe's head and fired. The round missed and James ducked in time to avoid the baseball spikes. Travis came up behind the man and severed his head from his body.

"Shit," said James as he narrowly avoided a bullet to the leg.

He and Travis turned toward a man with a double barrel shotgun who was rushing toward them. James raised his pistol, but Travis lowered James' arm and shook his head.

"I have a better idea," he said. "When he comes running, stick out your leg."

James raised a brow but followed Travis' instructions. As the man with the shotgun grew closer to them, he tripped over James' leg. The man fell to the ground, and Travis used the opportunity to run him through with his Ripper. The man gargled as blood gushed out of his back and onto Travis' weapon before he stopped moving altogether.

James turned around just in time to see a bald man with his weapon aimed at James' chest. Before he could use said weapon, however, the man was shot twice in the back. Standing behind the bald man as he fell over was Saoirse and Noelle.

"Thanks for the assist," he said.

"You're welcome," Saoirse said with a nod as she reloaded her pistols. Her gaze moved over the fallen bodies. "Once everyone's ready, we need to get moving again. My dad and I know quite a few different routes to Miami, which should help us avoid more men from the Big Three."

"I'll get Virgil," Milton volunteered with a sigh.

_This is going to be a long and dangerous trip back,_ thought James as he reloaded and holstered his pistol.

* * *

It had been several weeks since Natasha's death. Conversation between group members had been quiet and to the point, as if they were afraid more armed men might pop out of the woods any second. They hadn't had anymore run-ins with any Miami Big Three associates, but they'd also taken certain precautions.

"Hey guys, is there any way we can take a break?" Asked Virgil. "I really need to tinkle."

Zeke sighed as he and Milton rolled their eyes.

First, they took routes only Travis and Saoirse knew. Unfortunately, this meant they clashed with more Mutated Gators and Sunshine Diamondbacks.

_I swear if I never see another giant, poisonous snake it'll be too soon,_ thought Zeke as they trudged through the forest.

"We're almost to Miami," Travis said as he looked to the ghoul. "Can you at least hold it until we get there?"

"You said that roughly a half hour ago," Zeke added.

The setting sun filtered through the thin, tall pine trees. Zeke's boots crunched on the layer of long dead twigs and branches as they walked. In the distance, the splashing of water mixed with the growls of Yao Guai and shaking of rattles. Zeke's gaze briefly shifted around the eight group members.

Another protection they'd taken was that no one walked ahead or behind the group. If the terrain ahead looked precarious or someone heard something, a scout was sent. It meant quite a lot of waiting, but they couldn't afford to take any chances.

Travis sighed and glanced at the map on his Pip-Boy once again. "If you want specifics, we're a half mile from the northern gate."

_At least we're not too far from Miami,_ thought Zeke. _But getting inside the city is going to be another matter entirely._

An additional safety measure they'd taken was increasing their travel time. It was harder to track someone or something when you didn't know where it was. While Zeke, Travis, and Saoirse were accustomed to waking up before the sun, the others grumbled under their breath.

"Wait, I thought we were going in through a side entrance?" Asked Virgil.

"We are," Saoirse replied. "The guard access is close to the north gate. You can't even tell where it is if you're not looking."

_Handy,_ Zeke thought as the surrounding gates of Miami came into view. _Guess we'll find out._

Travis led the party out of the forest and down the path toward the north gate. Zeke counted at least five figures on the wall as Travis steered to the right.

"Everyone get ready to run, just like we talked about," Travis whispered.

Everybody nodded as they followed Travis several feet away from the northern entrance. Zeke folded his arms as he scanned the surrounding area. They were the only ones on this side of the wall, and the other guards were either pacing or fiddling with their weapons. He looked to the main entrance but didn't see anyone heading in that direction. It was growing late, and Miami didn't let anyone inside past sundown.

_I hope this plan works,_ thought Zeke, not for the first time. _Otherwise, we're screwed._

"Travis, is that you?" Came a masculine voice in Spanish.

Zeke shifted his gaze toward their section of wall, where a man in leather armor now approached Travis.

"It's good to see you again, Diego," replied Travis, also in Spanish. "How's your leg?"

Diego nodded. "It's much better." His gaze then moved to the rest of the group. "I'm guessing this isn't a social call."

"We need a favor," Travis replied. "Could you help us get into the city through the guard's entrance?"

Diego sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Shit, man, you know there's a bounty on all of your heads?" Diego asked. "One thousand caps a piece."

_Shit,_ thought Zeke. It didn't surprise him, as the Big Three often used bounties to obtain difficult items they wanted. Which meant their job just became a hell of a lot more difficult.

"Look, we just need your help getting into the city," Travis said. "After that, we'll be out of your hair. You owe Saoirse and I that much, Diego."

Diego sighed again and swore under his breath.

"Alright, tell your people to hold tight," he replied. "I'll be down in a minute."

After Diego disappeared, Travis partially turned to Zeke and the others.

"We're in business, guys," Travis whispered.

Zeke and his companions waited until the door creaked open. Diego appeared in the doorway and motioned for everyone to come in.

"Thank you," Travis said in Spanish as he looked to Diego. "We really appreciate this."

Diego nodded. "If anyone asks, I didn't see you."

Zeke and the group rushed through the guard's barracks, which were devoid of guards, and into Stackton. The familiar scent of Brahmin dung combined with Gator meat and human piss and vomit flooded Zeke's nose. The streets were completely devoid of life, yet Zeke could still see the lights and hear the music from the Shangri-La.

"Looks like they were expecting us," said Travis as he stopped and turned to them. "We're going to have to work fast. First—"

At that moment, Travis was cut off by voices yelling in the distance.

"Okay, new plan," said Travis. "Everyone, split up and run to the Opal Garden. It's located within Waterside. There should be a sign in front of some plants, you can't miss it." He looked to Zeke as the sound of footsteps and voices grew closer. "The next time you encounter one of us, give that person the vial and keep running. Even if you no longer have the virus, keep going until you reach the Opal Garden. We'll meet there and take down any remaining guards if there are any."

_If we live that long,_ thought Zeke.

"Does everyone understand the plan?" Asked Travis and the whole group nodded. "Okay, good luck."

With that, the group dispersed as the guards ran toward them.

* * *

Milton kept his dual .44 Magnums at the ready as he ran through Stackton. After James had given him the vial, he'd stuffed it into the pocket of his dress pants. He'd had to occasionally holster one of his pistols just to ensure the container hadn't cracked. So far, it hadn't.

He glanced over his shoulder and slowed his pace when he didn't see any guards. He holstered one of his weapons and briefly put a hand to his side when he felt a cramp.

_The gate to Little Plaza is just ahead,_ he thought. _Shouldn't be too much further._

As he rounded a street corner and the gate to Little Plaza came into view, so did two Miami city guards. Both were several feet away with leather armor and weapons. One wielded a machete, and the other a baseball bat.

"Damn," he muttered as he pressed himself behind the nearest building.

He tried to remember if any of his group members was nearby, but after James had passed him the flask, he hadn't seen anyone. His heart pounded in his chest as he withdrew his other magnum. He moved out from behind the building and aimed his pistol at the man with the machete.

_Here goes nothing,_ he thought as he pulled the trigger.

The man with the machete landed face first on the ground beside his weapon. The second man whipped his head toward Milton as his comrade fell. When he began to move toward Milton, a frag grenade landed at his feet. Milton's eyes widened as he watched the man's legs get blown off his body.

"Well, don't just stand there, dumbass," said a familiar rasping voice.

Milton shifted his gaze to see Virgil approach the dead men. The ghoul extended his hand toward Milton.

"Give me the death vial so we can get on with it already. I'd rather not learn what dead ghouls look like, alright?"

* * *

** Hey guys, I know it's been a spell since I've updated, but I hope this keeps you going until the last couple of chapters are posted. This chapter, as well as the next few, have spent some time in the editing process not only by myself but also my beta, Solar Surfer.**

** I would like to thank everyone for reading and don't forget to leave a review!**


	18. Chapter Seventeen: The Mystery of Miami

_**Chapter Seventeen: The Mystery of Miami**_

Once Virgil took the vial from Milton, both raced through the gate to Little Plaza. The streets of Miami's market district were void of customers, which wasn't unusual. All shops usually closed a half hour before sundown. Virgil sped through the streets with the crescent moon above his only light.

_They were expecting us,_ thought Virgil. _The Big Three wanted us to return to Miami._

The thought made him almost want to take down the leaders of each family himself. But he knew he wasn't the type of ghoul to shoot his way out of a fight. At least, not if he could help it.

His heart hammered in his chest as he turned right onto another street and spotted Miami guards further down the road. Two groups of three guards lined either side of the street. All had their weapons withdrawn as they paced. He raised a brow as he abruptly stopped.

_What the hell,_ he thought before his eyes widened in realization. _They've trapped my group. Or at least, some of them._

He ran back the way he came and turned left into a nearby alleyway. He tip-toed down the backstreet, doing his best to be as quiet as possible.

"Psst, Virgil," came a familiar voice.

The ghoul looked up to find Saoirse on a neighboring rooftop. She motioned to a set of stairs and Virgil rushed toward them. He climbed as fast as he could.

"So, you're the reason the guards are here," Virgil whispered.

Saoirse shook her head. "It's not just me they've cornered."

She led him toward the edge of the roof and pointed. Ariadne and Noelle were stationed on a rooftop across the street. Noelle gave a half-hearted wave as Ariadne, with her arms folded, simply nodded.

"The gates to Waterside are just up ahead," Saoirse whispered with a sigh as she turned away from the teenagers. Virgil followed her to the right side of the roof and sure enough, there was the gate to Waterside.

Virgil flinched when a shot was fired into the air. He and Saoirse stepped away from the edge as he searched for who had fired the shot. Neither of the other teenagers had their weapons withdrawn, but the guards converging in the middle of the street did.

_Shit,_ he thought. _We're screwed._

"Alright, you three," called one of the guards in the otherwise quiet street. "We know one of you has the virus. I'm going to count to three, and if you don't hand it over before then, we'll start shooting."

Virgil turned to Saoirse expectantly.

"I really hope you have a plan," he whispered.

"One," said the man.

Virgil could see the other guards begin to pace, holding their weapons at the ready.

Saoirse nodded as she removed a frag grenade from her belt. "I do. Do you have any more explosives?"

Virgil's heart pounded as he searched his pockets. When he pulled out a frag grenade, she took it and quickly moved to the edge.

"Two," the man said.

"This should decrease their numbers enough for us to get by," she said.

She locked eyes with Ariadne, who also held a frag grenade, and pulled the pins of both explosives.

"Three," the man said as the two teens dropped the explosives.

* * *

Noelle, Saoirse, Ariadne, and Virgil panted as they rushed through the gate.

"I think that stopped them," Noelle said.

"For now," said Saoirse. "No doubt they'll assess their wounded and come chasing after us again."

"Either way, we should get going," said Ariadne. "Does anyone know who has the vial?"

"Why, I'm so glad you asked," Virgil replied. All three teenagers looked to him as he removed the flask from his pocket. "Any volunteers?"

"I'll do it," Noelle said before either adolescent could respond.

"Noelle, are you sure?" Saoirse asked.

Noelle felt her friend's gaze remain on the virus as Noelle took the container and placed it into her jeans pocket.

"I'm sure," she said with a nod.

Their gazes snapped to the gate as shouting accompanied footsteps on the other side.

"We'll meet you at the Opal Garden," said Ariadne.

"Be careful," Saoirse said.

And with that, the four split up once more. As Noelle ran down a residential street, she briefly glanced behind her to see numerous guards. She shifted her gaze as she turned onto another deserted avenue.

_Just a little further,_ Noelle thought. _Just a little further, and then I can stop running._

Her gaze darted over the empty residential street as she ran. Her legs pumped faster as the sound of shouting and footsteps approached.

_Come on, you can make it,_ a voice inside her said. _Run like your life depends on it, because it does._

As she sprinted, she could just make out the silhouette of various plants across the skyline near a sign. She removed the vial from her pocket the closer she came to the garden. Just as her legs were about to give out, she chucked the vial as far into the garden as she could. She watched a thick branch grab the container, before pulling it into the garden. Noelle shuddered, but didn't have time to consider as gunfire erupted around her.

As she withdrew her pistol, Travis, Milton, Zeke, and James take cover behind nearby vehicles or buildings. She withdrew her Chinese pistol as she sped behind a nearby rusted semi.

"Does anyone know what happened to Virgil, Ariadne, and Saoirse?" shouted Travis from behind an adjacent building.

Noelle peered out from behind the truck and focused on a man with a 10mm pistol. She aimed at his chest and fired twice.

"Last I saw, they'd passed through the gates to Waterside," she replied as she ducked behind the truck again.

The guard she'd shot had fallen and she moved out from behind the semi once more. As she aimed at another guard's head, she could see three figures being escorted to the fight by more guards. Gritting her teeth, she fired at the man's head.

_You all are going to be sorry for what you've done,_ she thought as she scurried behind the vehicle again.

As their three group members advanced toward the group, Noelle felt her blood boil.

"Everyone stand down," one of the guards yelled. "By order of the Big Three, stop shooting."

The sounds of gunfire immediately stopped as Noelle lowered her weapon.

_The Big Three,_ she wondered with a raised brow. _That doesn't make any sense. They're the ones who wanted us dead, and now they don't?_

"What?" asked one guard.

"Are you kidding?" said another. "They're the ones who ordered we take care of these guys."

The man sighed as Noelle slowly emerged from behind the semi. She joined Travis, James, Milton, and Zeke as they met the other three members of their group in the center of a pile of dead guard corpses.

"Yeah, well now they're saying to leave them the hell alone," the first man replied. "You want to go against their orders?"

* * *

After the guards had let Ariadne and her compatriots go, the group decided to get something to eat at the Shangri-La. It was the only place Milton and Virgil could afford, now that they weren't getting paid. The eight of them sat in a booth in the back corner of the mostly empty restaurant.

A waitress came to deliver their drinks, before she departed. As Ari sipped on her Nuka Cola, a woman in a turquoise floral dress approached them. None of the other patrons even noticed her, let alone the large pouch she carried.

"You were the group hired by Luciano Reyes," she said.

Everyone shared a confused look before focusing their attention solely on her.

"Who's asking?" said Travis with a raised brow.

"My employer has heard of your group," the woman replied. "She wishes to thank you for disposing of the Reyes' weapon, as the Reyes Family would have become too much for Miami." She then tossed the bag into the middle of the table. "As proof of her gratitude."

Without another word, she walked away. Ariadne looked to Saoirse and Noelle with a wide and curious expression. The others were exchanging similar looks. Eventually, Ari looked suspiciously at the pouch.

"Does anyone know who that woman was?" Zeke asked.

The others shook their heads or confirmed they didn't know her.

"Who wants to open it?" enquired James.

"Since I almost died tonight, I will," Virgil volunteered as Milton snorted.

The ghoul reached a hand toward the bag and loosened the string. His eyes widened to the size of a Gatorclaw.

"Holy shit," said Milton, as he leaned over to view the contents of the pouch. "I've never seen this many caps before in my life."

"How many are in there?" asked Travis.

* * *

60,000 caps. Enough for each member of the group to receive 7,500. Travis was still trying to wrap his head around that number as he stood on the balcony connected to his bedroom later that evening. He placed his hands on the black railing as he looked out over Miami.

Saoirse had invited Ariadne and Noelle to stay over, all of whom were sleeping in Saoirse's room. Despite being away from home for several months, Travis found he couldn't sleep. A million questions fired off in his head the moment they'd split the caps and gone their separate ways.

Such as, who was that woman who'd approached them? How did she know they would be there? How had she, or her employer, known about them? And who was her boss?

He sighed as he looked down at the watch on his Pip-Boy. It was currently 12:45 AM.

_I'm not going to answer any of these questions tonight,_ he thought as he pushed off the railing. _Might as well get some sleep._

He did, however, know someone who might be able to help him. Alejandro Navarro was the oldest citizen of Miami and a dear friend of Travis'. If anyone knew who this woman, and her employer, was it would be Alejandro.

Travis closed the screen door to the balcony, before going to Saoirse's room. He opened her door as quietly as possible and smiled at seeing all three girls asleep on the floor.

"Sleep well, kiddo," he whispered before closing the door again.

He then went back to his room, stripped off his jumpsuit, and slipped into bed. As he lay his head on his pillow, he thought over the events of the last few months.

_Saoirse and I have been through a lot. Especially Saoirse,_ he thought. _But we've both come through the other side._

With that, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

** Hello fellow readers! I hope everyone, especially my audience in the US, are staying safe and healthy. **

** I figured since we're so close to the end that I would give you treat and post two chapters at once. I hope you like it! Also, before I get a flurry of messages/reviews about a possible sequel, you may want to read the epilogue first.**

** Disclaimer: I own nothing except Travis and Saoirse Mason, Aria, and Caleb.**

** Please feel free to leave a review and I'll see you next chapter!**


	19. Epilogue: New Beginnings

_**Epilogue: New Beginnings**_

Tears fell down Ariadne's cheeks as she stared down at the matching wooden crosses. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand when the tears blurred her vision.

A few days after they were paid by the mysterious woman, Ariadne had decided to find and bury her mother's body. Saoirse and Noelle had volunteered to help, but she'd refused. This was something she knew she needed to do alone. Fortunately, they hadn't come after her when she'd passed through the gates of Miami.

When she'd finally found her mother's body, it had been surrounded by bandits. When Ariadne had pretended her pockets were full of frag grenades ready to explode, the men had practically tripped over themselves to get away.

It'd taken some time, but Ariadne had shaped the crosses the way they were supposed to look. Or, so she thought.

She'd placed her father's cross beside her mother's and had even written their names on each. When Ari had first laid her mother to rest, she'd debated on whether to take her mother's dog tags. The weapons she knew she wanted, but the dog tags seemed more personal.

_I can't take these;_ she'd thought as she held them in her hand. _They belong to her._

_But that's exactly why you should take them,_ a voice in her head added. _So, you'll always have her._

In the end, she'd chosen to take the dog tags before burying the body. She grabbed the metal rectangles and brushed her thumb across the stenciled letters.

"I promise," she murmured as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "I won't let you down. Either of you."

As dark clouds appeared in the sky, Ariadne walked away. With her Shishkebab at the ready, she turned and walked away.

* * *

"Come on, McCoy, how about another round? For old times' sake?" asked Virgil as Milton downed another shot of bourbon. A half-finished bottle sat on the counter beside a shot glass.

After the caps they'd received last month, Milton had paid off his debt to the Vasquez Family. In fact, he'd had enough caps to move to Waterside if he wanted. But he'd grown up in a settlement like Stackton, and damned if he was going to abandon the place. Currently, he was drinking at the Shangri-La.

Milton snorted. "What old times? You mean when we were almost killed a month ago?"

Virgil rolled his eyes as he grabbed a nearby rag and glass. He began to clean the cup, before he put it on a tray behind the counter and grabbed another.

"Alright, alright, no need to get overdramatic on me," Virgil said with a huff. He put the glass beside the other one. "Oh hey, by the way, I almost forgot. I found this poster for a job; thought you might be interested." Virgil turned toward the back counter and handed Milton a crumpled yellow piece of paper.

**Job Description: Gator Hunting. Only four or five hides are needed.**

**Requirements: Someone who's not afraid to get their hands dirty, with plenty of capital. Also, knows their way around a gun.**

**Reward: 950 caps when the job is done.**

**If you're interested, come to Tallassee. There's a little shack on the edge of town. Show them this flyer, and we'll get started.**

**Signed,**

**Jude McCoy**

Milton's brows furrowed as he read the name. He recognized it from his childhood. Whenever his mother got drunk, which was often, she would talk about this no-good, low-life man she'd met named Jude McCoy. The same man whose name he shared.

_This can't be a coincidence,_ he thought as he stroked his beard. _But what is he doing in the Sunshine Wastes? Has he always been here?_

Milton looked back up to see Virgil serve another customer. When he was done, Milton held up the paper.

"How'd you get this?" He asked.

The ghoul shrugged as he grabbed another cup.

"I have my sources," was all he said.

Milton looked to the paper again, before he stood up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of caps.

"Keep the change," he said and walked away.

_I have a lot of questions for you, Jude McCoy,_ he thought as he left the Shangri-La. _And you're going to give me answers, one way or another._

* * *

"You guys get what you needed?" Zeke asked as Leon and Carlos joined him in front of Paulina's Provisions.

After almost being killed by the Big Three a month ago, Zeke had spent that time acquiring more caps and upgrading his weapons. All this was done in order to return to the Compound, learn what happened to Eleanor, and bring her back.

When he'd told Leon and Carlos his intentions, they'd been skeptical at first. But once he used his newfound fame to earn more caps, they'd hired as many able-bodied mercenaries as they could find.

"Yeah, we did," Carlos said.

Zeke nodded and made his way through the busy streets of Little Plaza. "Good. And what about the others?"

In total, they'd hired 100 mercenaries. Zeke had instructed the others except Carlos and Leon to wait outside the northern gate.

"All ready to go," Leon replied.

"Good," said Zeke as they approached the Stackton gate.

_It's been years in the making, but I will have the Compound under my heel,_ he thought. _And I will get Eleanor back._

* * *

"Well, I think that's everything," said James as he stood by the door.

After the events of last month, James became a sought-out assassin in Miami. This was good because it gave him work and plenty of reward, but bad because it meant he had to leave. Fame and notoriety meant Svetlana could find him and if she did, well, he chose not to think about that possibility.

_I can't let her find me,_ he thought as he searched his room one final time to ensure he had everything he needed. _I just can't._

When he was done, he left his room and went to check out.

A few days ago, he'd set off from Miami and stayed at the Gator Inn in Orlando. He didn't know exactly where he was going, but he knew he couldn't stay in the Sunshine Wastes. Not anymore.

He slid his sunglasses onto his head as he stepped out into the cloudy, yet humid, mid-morning. As he weaved his way through the busy Orlando streets, he scanned the edges of sidewalks and street corners. It was a habit he picked up when he'd first left the Capital Wasteland, back when he'd met Svetlana all those years ago.

As he passed through the gates of Orlando, he let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. Traveling with the group had helped him relax somewhat, but now that he was on his own again, he knew he had to keep moving. He didn't really have a destination in mind, so long as he was able to make a living and not get caught.

_Maybe I can catch a ride with a caravan,_ he thought as his sandals flip-flopped on the broken asphalt. _That would provide good protection, and I might be able to get some better weapons in return._

He mulled over the potential pros and cons as he entered the forest.

* * *

Virgil watched his friend leave as he collected the caps on the counter.

_Happy hunting, buddy,_ he thought as he pocketed them.

He remembered Milton mentioning his father once during their travels together. It had been brief, and met with anger and resentment, but Virgil could still picture the mix of emotions on his face. As soon as he'd seen the flyer on one of the bulletins, he'd purposefully had it removed. He pushed those thoughts aside as one of his teenage servers approached the counter.

"Hey, boss," said Jose. "Your new lady friend is waiting for you in the back room."

_Oh, she's early,_ thought Virgil.

One of the perks from his adventures last month included the ability to bone more women, and the occasional man. His current fling was with a ghoulette by the name of Grace. Like Virgil, she was not a Miami local but had moved there sometime after the war.

Virgil then looked to Jose and nodded.

"Thanks," he said. "Would you mind taking over from here?"

The teen nodded as Virgil flipped open the counter door. As Virgil left, Jose entered.

"I'll be back in one hour, two tops," said the ghoul.

Jose nodded again. "If you're not back before closing, I'll handle it," he said as he grabbed a washcloth.

_I've trained him so well,_ thought Virgil with a grin.

"Good man," he said as he clapped a hand on Jose's shoulder.

Turning around, he then went to find Grace.

* * *

Noelle smiled and waved at people as she walked the streets of Waterside. Ever since she and the group had returned last month, folks in Miami had begun to notice her. Before last month, she'd practically had to beg to work. Now, though, she'd had so many job requests over the past few weeks that she couldn't take on any new clients for at least the rest of the year.

_Our luck sure turned around fast,_ she thought and not for the first time. _But it's a good thing._

Another benefit of her newfound fame was that she'd been able to afford a small place within Waterside. Fortunately, her home was close enough to Saoirse's house and their favorite bar, the Muddy Gator. Currently, she was on her way to the Muddy Gator to meet with Saoirse.

Noelle slid her off her face as clouds darkened the sky above. At the end of the street she could see a sign with the outline of a gator labeled 'The Muddy Gator'.

_I hope she hasn't been waiting for me,_ she thought.

Ever since they'd returned to Miami, Noelle had hung out more with Saoirse and Ariadne in between jobs. Whenever she met with Saoirse, the other teen was always at least a few minutes early.

Noelle smiled as she entered the Muddy Gator, which was as busy as usual during that time of day. Frankie Laine crooned from the Jukebox as waitresses and waiters flitted between customers. The scent of cooking meat made Noelle's stomach grumble as she scanned the crowd. Eventually, she caught sight of Saoirse waving at her from their usual table in the back.

* * *

"Hey, glad you could make it," said Saoirse as Noelle sat down.

"Thanks for inviting me," Noelle said. "I'm sorry if I kept you waiting."

Saoirse shook her head. "It's really not a big deal. My dad's taking a job in Tallassee, and since I'm at home by myself, I have a lot of free time."

Ever since they'd returned to Miami last month, her dad had insisted they could take jobs without one another. _You're strong enough to start earning money by yourself_, he'd told her. Saoirse pushed the thought aside as a blonde waitress approached their table.

"What would you like to drink?" She asked.

"I'll take a Nuka Cherry," Noelle answered.

The waitress nodded and looked to Saoirse.

"I'll take a Nuka Grape," Saoirse replied.

"Very good," said the waitress.

As she walked away, Noelle looked to Saoirse.

"So, how was that Gecko job you were talking about last week?" Noelle asked.

"It went about as well as I could have expected," Saoirse answered with a shrug. "I was able to trap the smaller ones and one almost cornered me. I was lucky Ari was there to help."

"Well, it sounds like it all worked out," Noelle said.

Saoirse nodded. "Yeah, it did."

Both teenagers turned to the same blonde waitress as she gave them their drinks.

"Thanks," both adolescents said with a nod.

"You're welcome," the waitress said with a smile. "Can I get you two ladies anything to eat?"

"I'll take a Gator burger with Potato Crisps on the side," Saoirse replied.

"And I'll have the Sunshine Rattler Stew," Noelle said.

The waitress nodded. "I'll be right back with your orders."

When the waitress left again, Saoirse turned to her friend.

"So, I have this idea I've been thinking about lately," Saoirse began as Noelle popped the top off her Nuka Cola and took a swig. "I talked with Ari about it, but I wanted to discuss it with you, too."

_Liar,_ a voice in her head said. Saoirse most definitely had _not_ spoken to Ari about it, but Ari was in Orlando burying her mother. That, and she figured of the two, Noelle would be the easiest to convince. If Noelle was on board, Ariadne would follow suit if only to show up Noelle.

Noelle raised a brow as Saoirse removed the top of her Nuka Cola and took a drink.

"Have I heard about this idea before?" Noelle asked.

"No, you haven't," Saoirse replied. "Since you, Ari, and I work so well together, I've been thinking we should start a business together."

Noelle raised a brow as she leaned back in her seat. "Isn't it usually not advisable to go into business with friends?"

"Hear me out," said Saoirse, and Noelle leaned forward in her chair. "You, Ari, and I have worked together before. We have enough money and experience that with the three of us, we could take a lot of jobs and make a lot more caps. What do you say?"

Noelle tapped her fingers on the mahogany table for a while as she stared at Saoirse. Saoirse kept her blue eyes firmly on her friend as she took another drink.

"How much would we charge for our services?" Noelle asked.

"Well, that would depend on what the job entailed," Saoirse replied. "It would obviously cost more if we have to travel a long way, or if we're sent to kill, say, a Gatorclaw."

Noelle nodded as she resumed tapping her fingers.

"So, is that a yes?" Saoirse asked as she held her friend's gaze.

Noelle sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes."

A grin slowly appeared on Saoirse's face. "Perfect." She held up her bottle of Nuka Cola. "To our budding business."

"To our company," Noelle said as she clinked bottles with her friend. Both took a drink before Noelle added, "So, what's the name of our company?"

"I was thinking: the Miami Freelancers," Saoirse answered. "Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

* * *

Travis aimed his rifle at the nearest Gatorclaw. He fired two shots, with both bullets hitting their marks. The creature cried out as two red circles blossomed from its leg and charged at him.

Travis quickly reloaded his weapon and aimed at the creature once more. As he pulled the trigger, he saw gunfire in the corner of his eye. He almost expected Saoirse to pop out of the clearing, until he saw Caleb instead.

_You're strong enough to start earning money by yourself_, he'd told her when he said he was taking this job without her. He'd been right, of course, as Saoirse had become quite successful on her own. Even though he missed having her help on jobs, he knew it had been the right decision.

Travis lowered his Overseer's Guardian as the Gatorclaw fell to the ground with a _thud_.

"Is that the last one?" asked Caleb as he scratched his head. "Or are there more?"

Travis shook his head as he holstered his rifle. "No, Hugo said there were only twelve."

"Alright, then," said Caleb as he placed his rifle back in its holster. "So, what proof do we need for that Hugo fella?"

"Said he wants the tails," Travis replied as he grabbed his Shishkebab.

Caleb grunted as they approached the newly fallen Gatorclaw.

"Is that normal?" The older man asked.

"Not usually," Travis said as he shook his head. "But if Hugo wants the tails, that means he plans on doing something with them."

Caleb moved the Gatorclaw onto its stomach and put a foot on its lower body.

"Do people like him do anything with the bodies?" He asked.

"Sometimes," Travis answered as he chopped off the tail. He grabbed it and picked it up. "One down, nineteen more to go."

Travis and Caleb spent the next few minutes making sure the Gatorclaws were dead, before removing their tails and stacking them in a pile near the barn behind the house. As the Gatorclaw tails were quite large, only two to three could be carried at a time.

"Last batch," said Caleb as he picked the last tail off the ground.

"Thanks again for your help," said Travis.

They turned away from the Gatorclaw corpses and began the trek to Hugo's small property.

"Not a problem," Caleb replied. "So, what are we doing for Saoirse's birthday?" He asked as he looked sideways at Travis.

_Crap, I almost forgot,_ thought Travis as he walked up and over a small hill. _Her birthday's next week._

"I'll be honest, with everything that's happened this past month, I almost forgot," Travis answered. "But I know she'll want to spend some time with Noelle and Ariadne."

Up ahead, Travis could see smoke rising from a small wooden cabin. A distance behind the cabin was a faded red barn. The remains of a white picket fence surrounded the property where a bald cypress stood in one corner, providing shade to a doghouse.

"Of course, she will," Caleb said. "But I had another idea I wanted your help with."

"What kind of idea?" asked Travis as he gently opened the gate with his boot.

"Well, I was thinking something along the lines of a surprise party," Caleb replied. "This will be her sweet sixteen, and I think it should be something special."

Travis nodded as they stepped through the gate.

"What did you have in mind?" He asked.

* * *

** Greetings loyal readers! I wanted to start off by saying I didn't realize the epilogue and first chapter had similar headings until I'd already written the epilogue. Lol, go figure.**

** Now, onto the important stuff. I know most of the audience are probably asking the big question: When is the sequel coming? The answer to that is, it's not. Before you collect your torches and pitchforks, allow me to explain. Starting this upcoming semester, I will be going to school full time and working part time, in addition to other things. This means I won't have time to work on a sequel, which would require hours of planning, writing, rewriting, and editing on my end.**

** At this moment, I would like to acknowledge (again) all of those who made this story possible. First off, I want to thank Symmetrymaster, Colstrent, Malachi288, Ethereal City, and bagsey00 for allowing me use of their characters. You trusted me with your OCs and I'm so grateful we finally get to see this thing finished!**

** Another shoutout goes to my betas, my sister and The Solar Surfer. This story would be a lot messier without you guys, so thank you!**

** Lastly, I would like to thank my audience members. I know there was an awkward year long delay between updates, but I greatly appreciate you guys for sticking through until the end. You guys rock!**

** With that being said, I've enjoyed writing this story and I hope you guys have enjoyed writing it. If you feel so inclined, feel free to leave your thoughts in a review! Your constructive feedback is the best paycheck I have!**


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